The Chao Chronicles 1: The Supernovas
by TheDragonLover
Summary: Enter the world of Chao. A Chao is born who's destiny is to become leader of Chaos Clan and stop the second war of the Supernovas. But, will he succeed? HIATUS.
1. The Blessed Savior

Bios:

Cosmos: A little Chao, leaning mostly to a dark Chao, who is new and inexperienced. He is carefree and goofs off, but when things get serious his toothy grin disappears.

Zero: an unnamed Chao, he is quiet and shy when Cosmos talks to him. But, he compliments Cosmos' personality, and is sure to be his best friend. He doesn't seem to want to be a Hero or Dark, and will probably be a Neutral.

Chaos Clan

Jade: A nearly Hero Chao in the Chaos Clan, she has dragon claws, parrot feet, wings and tail, and a bored expression. She doesn't do much, and is lazy most of the time. She's really thoughtful, though, and invaluable for the clan.

Pyro: (after deep thinking, i have come to realize Pyro is a GIRL!)Almost a dark Chao, she is taken care of by Rouge, and her feminine charm rubbed off on her. Now everywhere she goes people do as she pleases, but she doesn't mind. She prefers it to the 'old fashioned way', whatever that menas…

Soul: A Chao in Chaos clan with no legs and a few peacock feathers on his head, he floats around with the gang. He's really cautious, though, and usually stays behind. Odd enough, he's usually the one who gets in trouble.

Aeon: An orange Chao from an egg, she's mostly shunned because she isn't of proper birth to the clan. Her intelligence is needed, though, for the rough-and-tough times, and she gives it to all who needs it. She is all phoenix except for green otter arms.

Heart: Mother of the clan, this Hero Chao's the main Chao. Her cheery disposition is often scary, but she thinks only for others, especially when they need it most. She has unicorn horn, seal flippers, and dragon wings, tail and feet, all a purple scheme.

Spirit: The father of the clan, he's a dark Chao with a weird hairdo. Everybody loves him, though, through the leopard claws and feet. He also has a leopard tail and a pair of tiger ears. His kind words always help, but since he's always talking with the other clans, he's usually away.

Fauna Clan

Buck: A total ram Chao, who's near the time to transform into a Hero Chao. He is the only Chao from the Fauna Clan who comes to meetings, so not much is known about it.

Falcon: He is the leader of the Fauna clan. He is all bird (the purple bird) with yellow tints. He has an excellent green thumb, and is a master at herbals remedies.

Other Clans

Shadow Clan: Black (leader Dark Chao), Jinx (Dark Chao with raccoon features), and Wisp (Dark Ghost Chao)

Sky Clan: Wings (Hero Chao with huge phoenix wings), Star (Baby Chao, just born), Zip & Zap (Twin Chaos, Zip is total tiger while Zap is a leopard), and Angel (leader Hero Chao with phoenix wings, dragon claws and feet, and a bunny tail and ears)

Aqua Clan: Gills (neutral with otter characteristics and features), Flipper (a seal Hero Chao), Tears (sad peacock Dark) and Giggle (laughing penguin Hero)

Cloud Council: Hooves (unicorn Hero Chao), Blazer (phoenix Hero Chao), Spyro (dragon Dark Chao), and Bones (no-legged bat Dark Chao)

Chapter 1

The Beginning

An egg was sitting in the middle of the Dark Garden. It was almost time for it to hatch. The clan had been waiting for this day, for the day their leader would be born. Every fall, a new leader was born, and this egg had been blessed. All of the other clans and people came from around the world to congratulate them. Even Sonic and his friends came over today.

Sonic was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his blue spikes waving in the small breeze. Tails was standing right next to him. He yawned. The sun was only just coming up, and he had stayed up last night working on his Tornado again. He yawned again. Knuckles nudged him. "Stop complaining, you wimp." He sighed. "Of course, I don't see why we had to come. The only one here who actually takes care of the Chao is Sonic, except for Cream and you."

Tails looked down. "Yeah, but it's nice to come and celebrate with them when they're about to have a leader every once in a while." Sonic shushed them. "Quiet, it's moving!" Everybody looked as the egg started to wiggle. It cracked, and stopped shaking. It was still for a while, before it cracked open slowly. A big, curious eye looked out of the shell. Sonic smiled as the other Chao cheered.

A unicorn Chao stepped forward. "Hello, new Chao. You have been chosen by the Cloud Council to be the Chaos Clan's leader." He grabbed the Chao and pulled him out of the egg. He held him high in the air, and said, "This Chao shall be named…Cosmos!" Everybody chanted the new Chao's name, as he laughed at them all, oblivious to what he was to be. He smiled a pointy-toothed grin. A Hero phoenix Chao leaned over and whispered in the unicorn's ear. He nodded. "Yes, I do believe he's Heart's child. She has that same grin, you know, and it doesn't surprise me."

Everyone quieted down, and made a path for a shadowy figure. He had a ghostly tail, waving like a candle in the wind. As he floated nearer to the child, he spoke in a moaning voice, "I see you have a new addition to your…family…how nice…" He stopped in the middle of the crowd. A wave of whispers went throughout the crowd, and he looked around. He was a Dark Ghost Chao, Wisp, from the Shadow Clan, who had come to congratulate them.

He waved his arm to the crowd. "And I believe everyone is relieved, too, at the sight of the new leader for Chaos Clan." Another wave of whispers buzzed in the tense air. Wisp was from Shadow Clan, a ruthless clan of war and violence. What could they possibly want, what point do they want to prove? A tiger Chao stood up, a determined look on his face. "What do you want, Wisp from Shadow Clan?" His friend, a gorilla neutral Chao, pulled him back, but he shook him off.

Wisp laughed, and the group looked pale. Wisp smiled at the little tiger. "Want? We don't want anything, dear boy, but to congratulate Chaos Clan. Why would we want to do anything else on this glorious occasion?" He stopped smiling, and the little tiger and gorilla gulped. "Of course, we hope nothing bad happens to the little guy, before he even starts to walk. Isn't that right, Jinx?"

A raccoon Dark Chao stepped from the crowd. He looked nervous, and kept twitching his nose. "Oh, no, of course not! What a terrible blow to the clan that would be!" He smiled, and twitched his nose again. "It would be horrible!" Wisp nodded. "See? We just wanted to grant him good luck and our best wishes. But, we wouldn't like this to go out of this clearing, for you see, Black is getting anxious." He put his hands behind his back. "He believes a war will break out between the clans. 'Nonsense,' we all cried, but he made up his mind and started to train us. I don't know why, though, a war would break out with anyone!"

The unicorn nodded. "Thank you, Wisp, for those…kind words. We wish you luck convincing Black to the truth." Wisp and Jinx bowed. "Yes, and you too, Hooves, for you may need it if our leader's assumption is correct." Then he beckoned to Jinx to follow him, and made his way out of the crowd. Two little baby Chao were playing in front of them. They were playing tug-of-war with a branch. But they stopped when he walked…err, floated, up. They looked up at him, and he smiled. They moved out of the way, and he and Jinx continued.

When they left, Tails shivered. "Do you really think a war will come between the Chao?" Sonic chuckled. "Of course not, Tails! What would they fight over?" Knuckles nodded. "And besides, how could these little guys hurt anyone anyway?" He scratched Cosmos under his chin. Cosmos giggled, and then chomped on his glove. Knuckles shook his hand, but Cosmos held on. Sonic laughed. "Not so cute and cuddly as they seem, huh? I think he likes you!"

Knuckles pulled the baby Chao off and grumbled. "You think it's funny, _you _try putting _your _hand in a baby Chao's mouth with sharp teeth!" Tails snickered, and Knuckles yelled at him, "Be quiet, Tails, before a put him on you!" Sonic scolded them. "Shhh, Hooves is talking!" Knuckles glared at him before he crossed his arms and listened to the unicorn Hero Chao.

He was speaking to the rest of the crowd. "We welcome you to our feast of fruits and nuts, friends! Come, let us eat!" He motioned to a huge pile of raspberries, hero fruit, coconuts, dark fruit, and such. They all ran over and started to eat. Knuckles took an apple, but put it back down when he realized the apple was on a Chao's head. The Chao chattered at him, before hopping off to get a drink from the lake. Knuckles frowned and carefully examined a mushroom before he popped it in his mouth.

Sonic was shoveling fruit into his mouth, but he stopped eating a banana to give a little baby skunk Chao an apple. The Chao smiled and took it, eating it in a few seconds. Sonic picked him up and scratched his stomach. The baby skunk laughed. Tails smiled as he bit off a raspberry. "Sonic seems to be friends with all of the Chao, huh, Knuckles?" Knuckles wiped the juice off of his mouth. "Yeah, he just likes the cute ones. He plays with the babies and leaves the older ones alone."

Sonic put the little skunk next to him and they both ate at lightening speed. When they couldn't eat anymore, Sonic took a toothpick and picked his teeth. The Chao picked up a small stem and tried to copy him. Hooves clopped over to them both and smiled. "I see Bubbles has taken a liking to you, Sonic. He's usually really shy." Sonic shrugged. "I guess it's just me, then. I can't help playing with the little guys!" Tails whispered into Sonic's ear, "How'd Hooves learn how to talk?"

Sonic shrugged, and Tails pondered while Knuckles relaxed by the water. The water was red, and Knuckles didn't want to know why, so he stretched out on the bank and closed his eyes. A Neutral otter Chao and a Hero seal Chao were doing a swimming race. They raced past Knuckles and splashed him. He coughed and raised his fist at the giggling Chao. "I'll get you, Gills, Flipper!" They laughed even harder, and Knuckles grumbled and lay back down. He sniffed his arm, and licked it. "Mmm….raspberry punch!"

The Chao laughed even harder, and Knuckles smiled. "You think that's funny, do you?" They nodded. He smirked and jumped in. They screamed, and he grabbed the seal Hero Chao. The seal barked to the otter, "Help me, Gills, he's got me!" Gills got a determined look on his face and tackled Knuckles. As they all fought, Cosmos sat on the bank of the lake and clapped, grinning. Tails picked him up. "You like that? Well, he can be tough sometimes, but he isn't so bad, once you get to know him." Knuckles pretended to drown as all of the kid Chao piled on top of him.

When the food was all gone, the Chao started to leave. Heart shook their hands as they left. "Nice to meet you! Have a good day! Fly home safely, or swim home, if you have too!" The grown-ups laughed, and Sonic rubbed the little skunk Chao's head. "I've gotta go, Bubbles. See ya later!" The little skunk sniffed and pulled on his shoe. Sonic picked him up. "I can't bring you home, it's too dangerous! I'm always kicking Egghead's butt!" Bubbles smiled and said, "Egghead, egghead!" Sonic shook his head. "Besides, you have to go home too. Look, there they are now!"

Another skunk baby was crawling to Bubbles. He grabbed his tail and gurgled. Bubbles laughed and started to tickle the baby. As they laughed, Sonic tried to tip-toed away. Bubbles saw him and tried to run over, but the phoenix Hero Chao picked him up. "Come on, you have to go home now." Bubbles sniffed, but didn't object. Blazer walked off, the baby crawling after him, and Heart wiped her head. "Phew! That's all of them!" Jade, a parrot Chao with dragon claws (as the bios tell you), walked over to Cosmos. She looked at him.

Cosmos looked up at her and gurgled. Jade looked back at Heart. "I think he's broken." Heart laughed and walked over to them. "No, he's just a baby. He won't be a leader until he's older! In the meantime, I want you to look after him." Jade squawked. "But…but I have classes! I have to practice my flute and…" Heart patted his head. "You barely even play that old thing anyway! You can look after a little old baby, now, can't you?"

Jade looked at Cosmos. He was trying to chomp off his own foot. Jade turned back to Heart. "No." Heart sighed. "Alright, speak with Spirit. Maybe he'll take care of the little rascal!" Jade sighed and went to look for Spirit. He was usually out at a meeting with the other clans, so she might have to wait late. Cosmos crawled after her. He grabbed Jade's tail feathers. Jade shook him off and grabbed her tail. "Don't touch that!" She rubbed her feathers and continued to look for Spirit.

Cosmos sucked on his hand. He looked around and saw a small animal, a peacock. He smiled and crawled over to it. It tilted its head, and blinked. He giggled, and it flew over his head. He looked up and fell on his back. He got on his stomach and crawled after it, giggling.


	2. A New Friend

Chapter 2

Zero

Cosmos grew and grew, getting darker and blacker by the day. People would give him dark fruits, and he gobbled them up and gave them a grin. He was a curious little Chao, and crawled around the garden. He would get into the baskets and eat all of the fruit, and he would play with the penguins and the rams by the lake, but he loved to play with the peacock he found. It was a small little thing, and he fed it raspberries and the fruit he didn't finish. It followed him everywhere, and they were inseparable.

One day, they were playing by the lake, when Cosmos heard something splash in the lake. He looked over it, curiosity making his little orb perk up. He saw something splashing, and yelled. He saw a small Chao bobbing up and down in the lake, sputtering and choking on the water. He looked around and saw Soul floating over to him. He yelled, "Lake!"

Soul looked over at him, and Cosmos pointed at the Chao in the lake. Soul saw it and dived in. He swam over to it and grabbed him. As he swam back, the Chao choked again and looked at him. Cosmos laughed, and clapped his hands. When Soul came up onto the dry land, Cosmos ran over to him, and tripped. He got back up, wiped his face, and looked up at the little Chao. It was just a baby, and looked like it was tinted a light green on his hands and feet. His green orb bobbed up and down as he flopped onto the ground.

Cosmos looked down at him, and smiled his toothy grin. The little guy coughed, and tried to get up. Soul picked him up and set him down in a sitting position. The little Chao blinked. Cosmos laughed and said, "Funny!" The Chao blinked again, and Cosmos rolled on the ground. Heart came walking over to them, worry all over her face. "What happened? He looks scared."

Cosmos pointed to the little Chao and said, "Lake!" Soul looked up at Heart and translated. "This little guy tried to go swimming in the lake, but I had to get him out. Cosmos here pointed him out to me, and now he says he's funny!" Cosmos pointed at the Chao and smiled. "Funny!" Heart crossed her arms and smiled. "Well, we better take care of the little guy! Is he ours?" Soul shook his head. "We don't have any Neutral Chao, Heart. Maybe he came from the outside!"

Cosmos patted the Chao's head. "Kay, wittle guy! It kay!" Heart laughed. "Well, it seems Cosmos likes him already! Well, we can't keep calling him little guy forever! What will we call him then?" They turned to Cosmos. He rubbed his head, and smiled. "Zero!" Soul smiled. "I guess he's been learning his numbers in class!" Cosmos looked at them both, a determined look on his face. "Zero!" Heart crossed her arms. "His name's Zero now! Good job, Cosmos!"

As Heart and Soul walked and floated away, Soul whispered to her, "He's already making decisions, and he's only a week old! He sure is a born leader!" Heart looked back at cosmos and Zero. Cosmos was trying to hand him a bunny, and Zero was shaking his head. Cosmos tickled the bunny, and it jumped onto Zero. He fell backwards, and Cosmos picked him back up, laughing.

Heart smiled. "He sure is, Soul! He sure is!"

Later that night, everyone was eating raspberries and mushrooms. Cosmos was trying to make Zero eat a mushroom. Zero shook his head and grabbed a raspberry. Cosmos frowned and bit the mushroom. He made a face and coughed. Zero patted his back, and Cosmos threw the mushroom, yelling, "Bad!" Jade sighed as he nibbled off his hero fruit. He watched Cosmos grab a raspberry and try to eat it whole. He looked at Zero and smiled, his mouth still full.

Zero smiled, and Cosmos laughed. Then he choked and Zero patted him on the back as he coughed. Cosmos gulped the fruit down him smiled. Zero smiled back, and they both ate, laughing when Cosmos choked again. Spirit came over to the group. He wiped himself of with his spotted paws, and sat down next to Heart. He picked up a Chao fruit and opened his mouth to eat it, but then Cosmos grabbed it. He broke it in half, gave one half to Zero and gobbled the other half.

Spirit sighed, but he smiled at Cosmos. He had the sharp grin, too. Cosmos looked at him and smiled back. Zero nibbled at the fruit thoughtfully, looking at them both. Cosmos looked at Spirit and said, "What your name?" Spirit took a raspberry and said, "Spirit, yours?" Cosmos puffed up determined and crossed his arms. "Me Cosmos!" He kept up the pose until he burst out laughing with Zero.

Spirit looked at Zero. "And who's this little guy here?" Cosmos patted Zero on the back. "Zero, fwend!" Spirit nodded. "You seem like good friends. Aren't you Cosmos, the Chaos Clan's new leader?" Soul rubbed Cosmos' head. "Yep! He'll be a great leader, too, right Cosmos?" Cosmos nodded. "Great!" Heart handed Zero a hero fruit, but he shook his head. Heart looked at him. "Do you want this?" She picked up a dark fruit. Zero shook his head again.

Zero looked around and said, "No mushwoom!" Everybody laughed, and Cosmos agreed. "Bad!" Everybody laughed again. Cosmos laughed too, and smiled at Zero. Zero smiled back, and patted him on the back. Spirit said, "Where'd you find Zero?" Jade sighed. "Cosmos saw him in the lake, and Soul retrieved him." Soul nodded. "The little guy was freezing cold, so we decided to take care of him." Spirit looked at Zero and Cosmos. They both yawned. Spirit smiled. "Looks like some little Chao have to go to bed."

Cosmos shook his head. "Me no tired!" But he yawned again, and Soul picked him up. He floated over to a tree, and put him under it. He lay down, and yawned again. Heart put Zero next to him, and they both went to sleep. Heart looked at them sleeping peacefully. "They seem like they'll be best friends forever." Spirit walked right next to her. "They probably will, right to the very end."

They looked up at the night sky, and a shooting star shot across the sky. Soul pointed at it. "Hurry, make a wish!" Spirit looked at Heart. She looked up again, and whispered, "I hope they'll be friends until the end of time!" They watched over the little guys for a while, before Jade came over and yawned. "I better go to sleep, so I can be ready in the morning." Soul frowned. "'Be ready'? For what? You never do anything!" Jade glared at him. "Be quiet, yes I do!" As they walked away bickering, Cosmos turned over.

Spirit looked at him. "Do you really think he'll be ready for leadership? It's really stressful, maybe too much for the little guy." Heart shook her head. "He won't be a little guy when he's leader. Besides, I'm sure it'll be alright." Spirit sighed, and walked away. Heart watched him go, and looked back up at the sky.

"I hope."


	3. A Race To Remember

Chapter 3

Start!

Zero ran over to a relaxing Cosmos. "Look, Cosmos! They're doing a race! Come on!" Cosmos opened an eye. "A race, huh?" He grinned. "Then let's go race!" He jumped up and ran over to the group of Chao by the lake. Zero ran after him. "Wait for me, Cosmos!" They ran through the crowd and pushed their way to the front. Chao grumbled and moved out of the way.

Heart was standing on a platform in the middle of the crowd. She tapped her feet loudly until everybody quieted down. She cleared her throat. "Ahem! Can everybody hear me?" Everybody nodded, and she continued. "Good, now, as you all know, today is our annual Sports Day!" The crowd murmured. Heart nodded. "Yes, today's Sports Day, and the first event is a friendly race! Contestants, step right up!" Cosmos pulled Zero up with the others.

Heart looked down the row. "Is that everyone?" Cosmos nodded. "Yes, very good, Cosmos. Anyway, everybody watch Jade as he shows the race route." Jade came up and showed them a drawing. "You guys are to go down to the lake, swim to the other side, pass that huge sinister tree, wait until you pass five tombstones, then you turn around and run back. Any questions?" He didn't wait for any raised hands. "Good, now on your marks…" Everybody got lined up behind a line.

Cosmos looked at Zero and smiled. Zero looked behind Cosmos and shrank back. Cosmos looked over his shoulder and saw an all black Dark Chao. It looked at him, his eyes cold. Cosmos gulped and inched to Zero a little bit. "Get set…" Cosmos looked at the Dark Chao and put on a serious face. The Chao scoffed and looked ahead.

"GO!"

The Dark Chao raced ahead, and left Zero and Cosmos in his wake. All of the other opponents ran towards the lake, huffing and puffing and kicking up dust. Cosmos ran fast, but he slowed down a little so Zero could catch up. They panted to the lake. Cosmos jumped in. The water was freezing! He bobbed back to the surface, and saw Zero staring at the water. He put his foot in the water, and then quickly recoiled as he felt the cold water.

Cosmos waved at him. "Come ON! We're already behind!" Zero looked at him nervously. "But…I…I can't…" Cosmos looked at the other racers, swimming farther and farther away. Cosmos waved at Zero again and started to swim towards him, but Zero shook his head. "No! You go ahead, I'll catch up later!" Cosmos frowned, and then swam off at high speed.

He caught up to the others, but the other Dark Chao was way ahead. He smiled and pumped his legs. He wanted a challenge! He swam ahead of the rest of the group and came closer and closer to the black Chao inch by inch. The black one got to the other side and ran. Cosmos jumped out and ran after him, panting. He shouldn't have eaten that batch of cookies before the race; he was losing energy fast and getting farther and farther behind.

Then, the black Chao suddenly turned around. He shouldered past Cosmos and ran back to the lake. Cosmos frowned. The little cheat! They hadn't passed five tombstones yet! He kept going the originally planned route. "If I'm going to win," he said, panting. "I might as well do it the right way!" He counted the tombstones, and raced around the fifth one. Thank goodness Sonic took care of him sometimes! The speed seemed to wear off on Cosmos.

He passed the other Chao coming towards him and leaped into the lake. He took a deep breath and swam underwater. It was a lot faster than bobbing up and down on the surface. He saw a black dot up ahead. _It seems that Chao had the same idea…_He thought as he swam towards him. He easily caught up to him underwater and tried to pass him. The Chao kicked him away and swam ahead. Cosmos grinned and pumped his feet. He wasn't going to lose to a cheater!

He kept a reasonable distance from the other Chao as he climbed up out of the water. He passed Zero, who was leaning against a tree waiting. He saw Cosmos and waved. Cosmos just nodded as he sped towards the finish line. The other Chao was right next to him, keeping the same speed. Cosmos tried to pull ahead, but the black Chao just sped up a bit. They raced over the red line, neck-to-neck.

Heart waved the flag. "Cosmos and Black have made it ahead of the rest!" She turned to Spirit, who was standing right next to the finish line. Spirit twitched his tail. "I think they have it at a tie…" Heart blinked, but smiled as she looked at the winners. "It seems you both won! Congratulations!" Cosmos looked at 'Black' and grinned. Black just scoffed and looked away.

Zero came running over to Cosmos and laughed. Cosmos playfully punched his shoulder, and Zero tackled him. They rolled around, playing, and Heart smiled at them. Spirit walked beside her. "They sure are growing up fast, aren't they?" Heart nodded, watching them play. "They're good friends." Spirit turned as he heard footsteps, and saw Blazer flying over to them. He alighted and smiled, his tail rustling in the breeze.

Spirit nodded to Heart, and he walked with Blazer by the lake. Blazer looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and pulled out a parcel from his feathers. Spirit nodded and took it. He jumped into the lake, holding the parcel in his mouth. He dived deep into the red water, and his figure faded. Blazer waited for him. Soon, Spirit came onto the land.

The parcel wasn't with him.


	4. Pyro

Chapter Four

Rules To Be a Leader

Cosmos had never been happier in his entire life.

Which, if you think about it, isn't that much…

After a talk with Hooves, he realized he had tied Black, the Shadow clan leader, in a race! All day, Chao congratulated him. He even thought he saw Pyro, the most adored Chao in the garden, wink at him. She was one of those Chao that would have no trouble with things, because people did it for them. Rouge's charm must have rubbed off on her, because people would follow her.

Of course, if you looked underneath all of the beauty, you would see the words 'mischievous' and 'troublemaker' written in those eyes. For instance, give her a chain-saw, a hammer, and…well, ahem, anyways, she winked at him, and he was sure it meant something. But, if only he knew Rouge… He felt confident and walked up to her. "Hey!"

She looked at him, a sly smile on her face. "How is the great champion?" Since Cosmos was already tainted red, nobody could see his face getting red. "Oh, I'm great! Never better! But, how about you?" Pyro smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking; you're such a gentleman."

Cosmos chuckled nervously, but before he could say anything Zero ran up to him, panting. "Cosmos! Hooves and Blazer want to talk to you!" Cosmos looked reluctantly at Pyro, but she smirked at him and walked away. Cosmos watched her leave until Zero tugged his arm. He snapped out of it and followed Zero, still day-dreaming. They met Hooves and Blazer on the small stage they had used during the race.

Blazer smiled at them. "Come, sit down!" Hooves nodded. "We need to discuss certain matters and topics of your future job as leader." They each pulled up a stool, and Blazer took out a map. He pointed at an 'X'. "This is us." He moved towards the other icons on the map. "And this is Shadow clan's garden, Fauna clan's garden, Aqua clan's garden…"

This went on for a while, before Hooves pointed at a blue circle on the map. "This," he explained, "Is the teleportation pad which goes from our world to the other world. Only people like Sonic use it, but it could be used as an evacuation point." He pointed at a cloud that was floating above the rest of the garden's.

"That is the home of the Cloud Council. There, we decide on fruit exports and imports, hatchings, special celebrations, and so forth." Blazer put the map away and pulled out a folder. Hooves pulled out a picture of Omochao (1). "This is a sworn enemy of the Chaos clan, after the invasion of 2053. They swarm, so if you see one, many more are nearby."

He pulled out a list of Chao. "These are traitors to the clans that are on the loose or with Eggman. They are dangerous, so stay on guard." (2) He put the pictures back in the folder, and while Blazer put the folder in a bag, Spirit walked over. He nodded at Hooves, and smiled at Cosmos and Zero. "I hope you are done explaining your half of the lecture."

Hooves nodded, and Spirit sat next to them. "Alright, so you know the enemies and the clans?" They nodded. Spirit took out a book of pictures. He pointed at a group shot. "Do you recognize anyone?" Zero shook his head, but Cosmos squinted at the photograph. He pointed at an almost-all-dragon Chao. "Is that Heart?"

Spirit nodded, and Zero looked closer at the picture. He pointed at a small black cheetah Chao. "Is that you, Spirit?" Spirit laughed. "Yep, that was me when I was a rookie, right before I transformed. I wasn't as…mature as I am now." He took out another picture. It showed him, Heart, and a black Chao at school, playing instruments. Spirit was playing the trumpet, Heart was playing maracas, and the black Chao was banging cymbals.

Zero pointed at the other Chao. "Who's that?" Spirit sighed. "That is…was…the leader of Shadow clan." Cosmos thought of Black's cold glare. He couldn't connect the small, playful Chao in the picture with him. Spirit laughed at their puzzled expressions. "Black has changed greatly over the years, as you can tell. He's dropped the cymbals and picked up his fists. He's very different than what he used to be."

Cosmos and Zero nodded, and Spirit continued telling him about how he was to be a leader. "First, you must train with different Chao from each garden: Falcon from Fauna clan, Angel from Sky Clan, Tears and Giggle from Aqua Clan, and Black from Shadow Clan."

Cosmos gulped. "I have to learn from Black?" Spirit nodded. "He may be a little shallow, but he is a great tutor, if he doesn't see you as a threat." (3) Cosmos looked nervously at Zero. "He doesn't seem to really like many Chao…" Cosmos laughed. "Well, I think he's just paranoid about the traitors, ever since one from his garden left. He's just closed to everyone now because of…"

Zero and Cosmos looked at him expectantly. He shook his head. "It's a matter best left for later. Now, I think it's almost dinner. What did Heart get this time? Please tell me she got something _other _than raspberries." Cosmos nodded, grinning. "She's got some of those fruits from Cloud Council, with the really sour skin, but sweet and tender fruit underneath…"

The three of them drooled at the thought, until Heart's dinner bell sounded. Everybody in the garden raced towards the pile of fruit hungrily. Zero and Cosmos shared a fruit, while Aeon ate one whole. Jade quietly nibbled on hers, being as civilized as possible. Spirit and Heart talked to each other in low voices, but they didn't need to; the others were congratulating Cosmos again.

Soul floated over and patted him on the back. "You should be proud of yourself, Cosmos! Nobody has ever beaten him in a race, and you tied him when you're only a kid!" Cosmos crossed his arms. "I'm not 'only' a kid! I'm the future leader!" Aeon nodded, mouth full. Zero smiled at Cosmos, and whispered, "You can get all of the girls' attention if you keep it up!"

Cosmos smiled at the thought of Pyro, and, well, speak of the devil (almost literally)! she was sitting a few feet away from him. Zero nudged Cosmos, and he stopped staring at her and smiled his toothy grin. She smiled the same grin back, and Cosmos gulped. After all of the delicious food was gone, Pyro floated over to him (4). Zero nudged him, pushing Cosmos over towards her. He smiled.

Pyro looked at him slyly. "Well, it seems you're one of the most popular Chao in the garden. With you tying Black in a race, you're a celebrity!" Cosmos looked down, embarrassed. "Now, I wouldn't say I'm a celebrity…" Pyro shook her head. "We have a leader who is almost faster than Black, and very modest, too. That is saying something."

Cosmos grin grew even bigger. "I guess I'm just an average Joe with speed, that's all. I'm not Super Chao, or anything…" Pyro laughed. "We'll see, Cosmos. In the meantime, keep out of trouble." Cosmos watched her float away, and walked back over to Zero, swaying slightly. Zero held him steady. "Careful, Tiger! She might bite!"

Cosmos just smiled. Zero shook his head and yawned. "Well, I'm going to sleep. Like she said, 'stay out of trouble'!" He walked away and leaned against a tree. He looked over towards the lake. The sun was barely over the surface. Zero saw Aeon standing by the lake, looking over it. Soon, the sun plunged into the depths of the red-colored water, throwing a blanket of darkness over her, and the garden.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) Omochao: I hate them…they're too happy, they must be hiding something top secret and evil under those mechanical smiles…

Traitors: they are Chao who decide they don't want to be with a garden or a person, and go off gallivanting on their own. Most are either captured, return to a garden, or…don't make it...

Black: He sees everything and everyone as a possible threat.

(4) Pyro: I forgot to describe her, I think, so, she is almost a Dark Chao, with little ponytail like things sticking out of her head, the same smile as Cosmos, (startlingly) and…no feet. She's part bat, by the way, which explains her floating.


	5. Glowing

Chapter 5

Glowing…

Zero woke up before the sun even thought about peeking over the horizon. He rubbed his eyes, still tired, but stopped. He never woke up when it was dark. He always woke up when the sun came up. He looked around, and his eyes rested on the lake. He saw a faint glow under its surface. He looked at Cosmos, resting quietly. He crawled over to the lake, trying to be as quiet as possible.

He looked down at the water. The glow was stronger now, when he was close enough to the lake. He tried to see into the murky depths, but he just saw the red water, and the glow. He couldn't see the source. He crawled back over to the tree and shook Cosmos. He rolled over. Zero kicked him. He groaned, "What? I didn't eat all of the fruit, I swear…"

Zero kicked him again. Finally, Cosmos got up, yawning. "Whazzup, Zero? Why you kicking me? What time is it?" Zero dragged him to the lake. He pointed at the water. "Look!" Cosmos stared at the water. "What?" Zero pointed at the water again. "Look!" Cosmos started to close his eyes, but Zero splashed water on him. Cosmos stared at the water. "What is it that you want me to look at so badly?"

Zero looked at him, confused. "You can't see it?" Cosmos blinked. "See what?" Zero stared at the lake. Cosmos patted him on the back. "Maybe you're seeing things. You need to sleep." Cosmos walked back to the tree and fell over, snoring as he hit the ground. Zero looked back at the water. It glowed faintly. He sighed. "I'm probably seeing things. Cosmos is right, I need to sleep."

But, no matter what he did, or how he laid down, or however many unicorns he counted jumping over the fence, he couldn't sleep. He felt something in the water tugging him towards the lake, but he knew he'd never go in. He didn't like the water. When Soul had pulled him out of the water, he was just a baby that had crawled out of his egg and found himself in the water.

He sighed and stood up. The sun was coming up, anyways. He walked over to the lake and watched the glowing fade, until it looked like a normal lake. He closed his eyes and lay on his back, soaking in the sunrays. He heard splashing, and opened an eye to see Aeon swimming in the water. He blinked. She was a phoenix Chao with otter arms, and he was a regular Chao. You would think she would hate the water, and yet here she was, swimming happily. (1)

He envied her. He was afraid of the water, and Ms. Orange here was swimming laps around the lake, not noticing his glare. Finally, he gave up. He just had bad experiences with water, and she obviously didn't. There wasn't any sense in blaming her about his fears. Soon, she came out of the water and flapped her wings, trying to dry them. She saw Zero and smiled.

"Well, this is a surprise! I've never seen you up this early. What's up?" He shook his head. "Couldn't sleep." She nodded. "Yeah, I know how you feel. I used to be up all night, staring at the sky. I'd always get up and jump into the lake and swim until I felt tired, and then I'd go right to sleep when I got out." She shook the water from her tail. "Now I swim just for fun."

Zero nodded. Aeon smiled, making him feel nervous. Wait, why was he nervous? Aeon stretched her wings. "Maybe you could come and swim with me sometime." He nodded, not too enthusiastically. "Yeah, sometime…" She looked him up and down, and tilted her head to the side. "What are you gonna be?" Zero stood there, confused. "What?" She looked at him as if he was crazy.

She repeated, "What are you gonna be?" When he didn't answer, she explained, "Are you gonna be a Hero Chao like Jade, or a Dark Chao, like me?" He frowned. "You know, I've never really thought about it…" She looked around the garden. "Well, you better start thinking, or you'll just stay as you are." He shuffled his feet. Aeon added, "But, I don't think you should change; you look good as it is."

Zero looked at her, surprised. "Really?" She nodded. They heard footsteps, and looked over at Spirit and Heart walking over to them. Heart nodded towards Aeon, and they walked away. Spirit smiled at Zero. "Up early, Zero? Well, wake Cosmos up, too. I want to show you guys something." (2)

Zero looked over at Cosmos. He sighed. "This is gonna be _sooooooo _much fun…"

Aeon's love for water: I wonder about that, too. My Chao in the games, which I based all of the Chao in here on, likes the water, yet is part phoenix. Confuzing, whatnot?

Waking up Cosmos: It is near impossible to wake him up.

Well, I guess you'll have to wait until next chapter for what the surprise is. And, yes, I guess there might be a little fluffiness in this chapter. I couldn't help it! Well, anyways, hope you review, so Zero would stop waking me up five o' clock in the morning to spite me for not writing a good story. Please, help me grab what little sleep I have!

Ja ne!


	6. Cloud Council

Chapter 6

Cloud Council

Cosmos was really hard to get up, but finally, after kicking him into the lake, he jumped out and ran after Zero, murder in his eyes. When Zero ran behind Pyro, however, Cosmos screeched to a halt. He muttered under his breath, "Cheater…" Pyro smiled at Zero, and looked over at Cosmos, who immediately replaced his scowl with a smile. "Where's the fire?"

Cosmos glared at Zero. "About to be put on Zero…" Zero gulped, but Pyro laughed. She smiled at Cosmos. "Do you even know how to make a fire?" Cosmos looked at her, caught. "Ummm, no….not really…" Pyro laughed again. "Have you ever wondered why they call me Pyro?"

_Maybe because you burn every guy's eyes with your looks… _But Cosmos didn't dare say that out loud. Instead, he shook his head. She smirked and raised her hands over her head. She held out her hands and blew on them, and purple flames danced around her. She moved her hands slightly, and they formed a purple sign in the air. Then, with a flick of her wrists, it diminished.

Cosmos and Zero stared at her, gaping. She waved her hands in front of their faces, shrugged and floated away, smirking. "I love the look on their faces whenever I do that!" She said as she floated towards the lake. Cosmos and Zero snapped out of it, and Zero slapped his forehead (I'm gonna guess that he has one). "Oh, no! Spirit said he wanted to show us something! We better hurry and find him!"

They hurried to the entrance of the garden, and found Jade impatiently tapping her foot. Spirit was standing next to her, looking up at the sun. He looked at them and motioned for them to hurry. Zero looked around. "Where's everybody else?" Spirit patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry; they're over with Heart in the Cloud Council's place. They're getting some seeds for the garden, to liven it up, or whatever they said."

Zero smiled at Spirit. "Yeah, sure, whatever, now what's the big surprise?" Spirit shook his head. "Patience, patience, Zero. I think you guys might want to visit a place me and Heart went to when we were younger and…not as intelligent about the facts of being leaders." Cosmos tilted his head a little. "How come you guys are both leaders, yet I'm supposed to be alone?"

Spirit looked up, as if remembering something. He shook his head. "That is for another time. I wouldn't want to scare you with the horrifying and traumatizing facts of life." Zero looked at him. "Like rubbing noses?" Spirit looked at him oddly. "Where'd you hear that?" Zero scratched his head. "Some cat came in mumbling about weird Chao and rubbing noses and popping eggs…"

Spirit mumbled under his breath, "Shadowpaw…" He looked at Zero. "You need to be careful of what you mention around Heart and them. It could earn you a slap or two." Cosmos looked at him slyly. "And what would you know about that, Spirit?" Spirit rubbed his face, probably feeling the stinging sensation of a seal flipper, before shaking his head. "Come on."

They walked out of the garden, and, for the first time, Cosmos and Zero realized they were only one of a many gardens. There were so many portals to different gardens, they couldn't count them. Some were regular Dark and Hero gardens, like their garden, but there were a few with odd entrances. One had a tiger Chao glaring at them with a blank stare.

Spirit nodded towards it. "That is the Fauna clan's portal. That's were Falcon takes care of his clan." They passed Shadow clan's entrance. It made them all, even Spirit, shiver. The entrance had a snake with red eyes gripping and coiling around the frame of the door, its mouth open and hissing at them. Its forked tongue slithered out of its mouth like another snake. It looked so real, Cosmos expected it to bite him as he passed it.

They finally got to one entrance, where Spirit stopped. "Well, here we are." It had a cloud frame with unicorns and dragons on the top and two cloud-like Chao staring at them, standing in front of the door. The statues suddenly moved and stared at them. "Password?" Spirit looked the one that spoke straight in the eye, and replied simply, "Clouds in the sky."

The statues moved aside, letting them enter. As they entered, Cosmos felt like he was flying, yet he was standing on the pad. Suddenly, they found themselves standing on clouds. Zero fell down, and Cosmos helped him up, looking around at the scene. It was made entirely of clouds: the stairs up to a huge room, the desk a Dark dragon Chao sat behind in a cloud chair, even the ceiling.

They walked up to the desk, and the Chao looked up. "Yes?" Spirit said, "I would like to introduce the young ones to the others of the Cloud Council. Which reminds me…" He motioned at the Chao, who stood up and bowed. The Chao held out his claw over the desk. "I am Spyro, the Cloud Council's History Keeper. I keep record of past events."

Cosmos grabbed his claw and shook it. Zero did likewise, and Spyro pointed towards the stairs. "They're just finishing a meeting. Go right in." They walked up and opened the door. Hooves, Blazer, (guess who) Black, and some other Chao looked over to the door. Hooves nodded to Black, who bowed and walked out, but not before shouldering past Cosmos and Zero. Cosmos watched him leave. "He's got a real racket going on, doesn't he?"

Zero nodded. "I wonder what he was talking to Hooves about." Cosmos shrugged, and Spirit pulled them over to the table. Hooves waved at the chairs across him from the big table. "Sit down, Spirit, Cosmos, Zero. You must see the rest of the Council." A Dark Ghost Chao floated over to them. He bowed. "I am Bones, the Cloud Council's Peacemaker and Treaty Keeper."

A Hero Chao with a skull on her head stood up and bowed. "I'm the Cloud Council's Chao Keeper, Elena. I keep track of births and deaths." She sat down, and a stern looking Condor Dark Chao stood up and bowed stiffly. "I am the Police of Cloud council, Talons. I help on the capture of crooks, traitors, and Omochao." He sat down, and Hooves smiled. "You already know me and Blazer, Cosmos, but I do the organization of holidays and events while Blazer is the Trading Official of the Cloud Council."

Cosmos nodded, knowing he wouldn't remember any of them, save their names. He looked at Spirit, waiting for him to tell them to go, but he stayed quiet. He looked back Hooves. Hooves looked at Blazer, who nodded and hurried off. Hooves stood up and walked over to Cosmos. He stopped in front of him. "I would like to show you something very important."

Cosmos immediately put all of his attention on Hooves. "Okay, shoot." Zero nudged him, but Hooves didn't seem to mind the atitude. "I want you to first concentrate on this." He pulled out a clear jewel. Cosmos stared at it in wonder, before he started to concentrate. He closed his eyes and thought nothing except the jewel. Finally, he felt someone tap his shoulder.

He peeked, and saw the jewel glow a faint orange. Hooves nodded, and instructed Zero to do the same. This time, however, it glowed white. Hooves nodded again and looked around. Blazer came back, holding a bag. He gave it to Hooves, who took two items out of it. One was an orange headband, with a fire symbol on it. The other was a white fan with an air symbol on it.

Cosmos picked up the headband, and Zero picked up the fan. They looked at each other, sort of confused, but both curious. They both looked at Hooves and said in unison, "What's this do?" Hooves motioned for them to follow them, and Cosmos took a step forward. He stopped and turned to Spirit. He wasn't moving. "Aren't ya coming along?"

Spirit shook his head. "This is for you to learn alone. I shall stay behind." Cosmos turned back and ran after Hooves and Zero, who were far ahead. When he caught up, Hooves walked down a cloud staircase. They followed, walking down so many stairs it seemed hours before they reached the bottom. They arrived in a room with sticks and bags lying around everywhere, torn and split into pieces.

Hooves stopped and faced them. He looked at them both, and backed off a few feet. Finally, he said, "Attack me."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soooo mysterious! Why does he want them to attack him? You'll find out in the next chapter of 'The Chao Chronicles 1: The Supernovas'!

P.S. Why won't people review? I haven't had a good review since chapter 2. Where's the love?

Ja ne!


	7. Training

Chapter 7

New Powers

Cosmos and Zero both blinked, staring at the unicorn Hero. "What?" Hooves repeated, "Attack me." They looked at each other, shrugged, and charged towards him. When they leaped, though, he dodged and they collided with the cloud floor. He shook his head. "Use the items." Zero looked at the fan. "With this hunk o' junk? Are you nuts?" Cosmos rubbed his headband. "How do I use it?"

Suddenly, a bag a feet away from Cosmos exploded into ashes. Cosmos stared at it. Zero looked at his fan. He waved it, and a huge wind ripped through the air towards Hooves. He easily dodged it and nodded. "That's it; channel your energy and concentrate. This is important for surviving in battle."

Cosmos looked at Hooves, and thought of how Pyro blew on her hands to make her fire. He thought of fire and felt it burn through his veins, until he saw flames dancing around him. He smiled. "I can't wait to show off!" He then concentrated on finding Hooves. He formed the fire in a ball and looked around. Hooves was a little to his right, watching him.

He smirked and threw the ball. Hooves jumped over it and brought out a flute. He began to play it, and an ivy plant popped out of the ground. It shivered and jerked out of the ground, and soon it grew towards Zero. Zero waved his fan until a whirlwind sucked in the plant and threw it over their heads. Hooves smiled. "You are good alone, but how about together?"

He suddenly played a quick tune, and another plant came out. It had a giant mouth, like a piranha plant, and shrieked at them. Cosmos shot fire at its mouth to shut it up, and Zero blew it away with his fan. Hooves brought more plants, and they blew and burned them down. Finally, Hooves stood in front of them. "It's time to battle me."

He charged towards Zero, horn first, and Zero tried to blow him away. He got past the whirlwind, though, and slammed into him. Zero blew at the cloud floor to soften his fall, and he landed lightly on his feet. Cosmos picked up his fists, which were flaming. He ran towards Hooves and punched as fast as he could. Not a single hit landed, and Hooves easily slipped out of the fiery punches and got him off his feet.

Cosmos looked at Zero, and they both nodded. Zero powered up his fan, and Cosmos did a fire symbol in the air. Zero unleashed his Whirlwind, and it blew the symbol towards Hooves. He ducked, but Cosmos got him with a fiery kick. He fell down, and Zero pinned him against the floor with a huge gust of wind.

As the wind died down, Hooves smirked. "You act like a real team. I hope you'll always stay friends." Zero smiled, and Cosmos nodded at him. "We'll always help each other out, through thick and thin, no matter what the costs!" Hooves nodded. "Well, I think this is all for this time. Take care, Cosmos, Zero." They bowed and exited the room, climbed up the stairs, and returned to the Meeting Room.

Spirit looked up at them, with their bruises and tired looks, and smiled. "I see you've got the hard lesson, huh?" Cosmos shook his head. "It was easy! When we got the hang of it, we beat him up so badly we had to beat him back down!" Spirit shook his head. "He was just testing your abilities and compatibility in battle. Next time, it'll be harder."

They walked out, saying good-bye to Spyro at the desk, and walked out of the portal. As they walked back towards their garden, Cosmos felt a prickling on his orb, like someone was watching them. He turned around, but it was empty, save for him and Spirit and Zero. He shook his head and continued walking.

A black figure stood on top of a doorway to a garden. It silently jumped off and pulled out a communicator. Eggman's face popped up on the screen. "What news do you bring?" The black figure looked towards the disappearing figures of Cosmos and his friends. "They have received the items, and are returning after a day of training." A rough voice said.

Eggman laughed maniacally. "Good work! I shall have those items and the Supernovas yet! Continue working, Snake. Don't fail me!" The screen went black. Snake looked up at a second black figure. "We must get more information. I'll go and infiltrate the garden, stealth mode."The second figure nodded, and Snakewas about to leave when a third stepped out from behind the other one.

"Try to get the Supernova, if you can."

Snake stopped. It gave the others a sly smile. "I'll try my best."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who are the three Chao (yes, they're Chao) that work for Eggman? What is all of this 'Supernova' business? And what's with the freaky fan and headband? You'll find out next chapter!

Ja ne!


	8. Theft!

Chapter Eight

Theft!

Cosmos and Zero came back to see the garden abundant with trees. There were Dark fruit trees everywhere, with a few Hero fruit trees, and a bunch of the fruit from last night's dinner. Spirit was crying at the sight. "It's so…delicious…" He rubbed the tree, savoring the sweet smell. Zero walked over to a tree Aeon was tending to. She looked up at him and smiled. "Like it?"

He nodded, looking at all of the trees and fruits. "Now we have enough food to last for a long time!" Aeon watched a little bunny nibbling on a raspberry. "The fruit won't have to be searched for, and we won't have to reach up on the high branches. The fruit grows so fast!"

Zero looked over at Cosmos trying to impress Pyro. He was throwing fireballs in the air and juggling them, grinning. She just smirked and pretended not to be interested, but she was impressed.

Heart rang her bell, and everyone stampeded for more of the delicious fruit. After everybody gobbled down as much as they could, they all walked off and fell asleep.

Cosmos was the first to start snoring, but Zero stayed awake. He watched as Aeon tended to a small tree. She watered it and smoothed the dirt around the stem until it looked perfect. The tree grew right in front of their eyes, and soon a full grown tree was standing right next to the lake's edge.

Aeon shook the tree, but none of the fruit fell. She rammed into the tree and was only rewarded with a headache. Zero walked over and took out his fan. He threw it up at a fruit. It cut the stem and returned to him.

The fruit fell in front of Aeon, who was looking at Zero's fan with envy. Zero picked up the fruit and handed it to Aeon. She looked at it, mouth watering, but she pushed it to Zero. "You eat it."

He shook his head and handed it to her again. "I don't need it, and besides, I got for you."

Aeon shook her head. "No, you should eat it. Aren't you hungry?"

Zero shook his head. "I'm fine, but you should eat it. You look like you didn't eat that much during dinner."

Even though he was right, Aeon pushed it to him. "You should eat it, since you got it off the tree." Finally, Zero sighed and took a bite out of the fruit. He closed his eyes and savored the sweet taste.

He looked at Aeon, who was trying to act like she wasn't hungry, and threw the fan again. Another fruit fell down, and before Aeon could object, Zero shoved the fruit in her mouth.

She swallowed it and blinked, shocked by the sweet and sour combination. Zero smiled. "It's good, huh?"

She glared at him, but soon she smiled, too. "Yeah, it tastes delicious."

_Later…_

A black shadow crept across the garden. It was too dark to see what it was, but the orb over its head showed it was definitely a Chao. It floated over the sleeping Chao without any feet, making it easy for it to sneak around.

It floated past Cosmos, who was snoring his head off. Cosmos rolled over, but otherwise he didn't wake up. The shadow also floated past Zero and Aeon, who were sleeping two feet apart.

Aeon rolled over onto Zero, who tried to push her off. When he couldn't breathe, he woke up and moved her off of him. Zero tried to go back to sleep, but when he saw the shadow, he froze.

The shadow didn't notice him, though, and continued floating over to the lake. Zero shook Aeon, who got up and yawned loudly. Zero covered her mouth and pushed her down as the shadow looked over at them. Zero kept his eyes closed and held Aeon down.

The shadow looked away and continued. Zero let Aeon up and put his hand over her mouth. He pointed to the shadow. Her eyes widened, and she signaled she would get Heart and Spirit. Zero nodded and let her go.

He looked over towards the shadow, and saw a ghostly tail disappear into the water. He ran over to the edge and looked down at the water. The Chao was diving to the bottom, towards the red glow…

Zero thought quickly. He didn't want to go in the water, but the Chao was an obvious threat. He didn't want to drown, but the Chao could be more trouble. He didn't want to get wet, but the Chao could do worse than water could…

Zero took a deep breath and jumped into the water. The cold shocked him and he almost lost his breath. He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw the Chao swimming, and he swung his arms until he started swimming towards it.

The Chao hit the bottom and picked something up. Zero couldn't see anything through the bright light, but he felt the Chao shove past him as it swam back towards the surface.

Zero turned around and pumped his feet. He caught up to the Chao and grabbed his foot. The Chao looked at him and kicked him off.

Zero tried to grab on again, but the Chao punched him in the stomach and kicked him in the back of the head.

Zero lost his breath and gulped on water, and his vision began to grow dark. He tried to swim, but he didn't have the strength. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the Chao getting out of the water with a red jewel.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What will happen? You'll see in the next chapter!


	9. Realizing the Truth

Chapter 9

The Search

Zero slowly woke up and found he was on a cloud-like bed. His head hurt badly, and he cradled it and closed his eyes as he thought of what happened. He remembered the Chao that ran off. His eyes snapped open. He jumped out of the bed and looked around. No one was there.

He looked beside the bed and found his fan, open and dry. He picked it up and examined it for damage. Suddenly, doors at the entrance of the room slammed open and Cosmos ran in, huffing and puffing. He saw Zero, who smiled and ran towards him. He tackled him, and soon they were fighting like they usually did; fiercely, yet playfully.

Blazer peeked in the room and smiled at the sight of them. "It seems that they are still kids," He said to himself. "But they are true leaders in their hearts, and this will prove it." He walked into the room, and Zero and Cosmos stopped fighting and looked up at him. They immediately jumped up and started talking faster than the speed of Sonic's legs.

"Who was that Chao?"

"What was that jewel?"

"Where's Spirit?"

"Where's Heart?"

"Where'd that Chao go?"

"Where's Aeon?"

"Where's Pyro?"

"Why did the jewel glow?"

"_How _did that jewel glow?"

"Where is it now?"

"What does it do?"

"How come I'm in the Cloud Council's bedroom?"

"WHAT HAPPENED!" They both yelled simultaneously. They panted as they waited for an answer. Instead, Blazer sighed and turned to the door. He motioned for them to follow him. They looked at each other and followed him down the cloud hallway to the huge door that led to the Discussion Room. There, the Cloud Council discussed events and solved problems.

The doors opened, and they walked into the room. The Cloud Council, Spirit and Heart, some Chao from Sky Clan and Aqua Clan, and a very old professor Chao sat at the huge table. They all turned towards them. Hooves beckoned for them to sit. "We've just started explaining things to the other clans. You should listen as well."

They each pulled up a stool next to Spirit and Heart, and listened intently. Blazer nodded at Hooves. Hooves cleared his throat. "A long time ago, when the gardens were newer, there was a struggle for dominance. Some Chao thought they should all share the gardens, but others thought they should be separated. Still others thought there should be only one dominant garden. It was all chaos.

"One day, some of the wisest ones thought of a solution. Some said they shouldn't have done what they did, but others congratulate them in their work. They somehow made jewels for each of the gardens. Everyone would choose a garden and have a jewel of power, called a Supernova, so all was well. But, some didn't like how things were. They wanted only one dominant garden that controlled everything in the other gardens. So, they plotted against the others gardens.

"They stole other gardens' Supernovas and used them against them. The gardens even fought amongst themselves for the power of the jewels. Soon, it turned into an all out war. Chao attacked fellow Chao, and they soon couldn't tell who was friend and who was foe. One such battle, the last of the Supernova War, had two definite sides: the Hero Chao and the Dark Chao. They thought that their own kind was the only Chao they should trust.

"It was too much. The battle was so intense, the Supernovas were scattered across the Chao world, and few were ever found. Soon afterwards, a sort of peace came between the gardens. Without the jewels to fight over, they could finally be in peace. Or so they thought." Hooves took out a picture of a group of Chao.

Blazer waved at the picture. "These Chao thought they should have the ultimate power of all of the Supernovas. So they took jewels and started looking for the Supernovas. They never returned to their gardens again. They are considered traitors and hazardous for clans. Many tried to find the Supernovas, but only a select few ever found them. They are the Chao now in the Cloud Council, which was made to insure the peace."

Spyro picked up the picture and took out a jewel, similar to the clear one Hooves had when he gave Cosmos and Zero their weapons. It was a shiny yellow. Zero looked at it, eyes sparkling. "Is that a Supernova?" Spyro nodded. Cosmos scratched his head. "What's it do?" Spyro laughed. "Well, this one promotes flying abilities. The others all had certain qualities to them."

Cosmos looked at Hooves. "So what's going on with the jewel _we_ _had_?" Zero nodded. "Hence the 'had' part…" Hooves looked at Spirit and Heart. Spirit nodded and turned to them. "We were in charge of keeping the Supernova secret and away from the other Chao. Apparently, we weren't as secret as we thought." Heart sighed. "If only we had seen who that Chao was…"

Zero frowned. After a moment of thought, he said, "I did." Everyone turned to stare at him. He looked at them all in confusion. "What?" Spirit cleared his throat. "Can you describe him for us?" Zero nodded and closed his eyes, trying to recreate the image. Slowly, he said, "It was a dark Chao with an almost…Sonic hairdo…except eviler…he had no legs and floated above the Chao. That's how he snuck in."

Heart tilted her head. "Do you have any specific colors to go by?" Zero frowned and opened his eyes.

"Scarlet. The color of blood."

Oooh, a Dark Shadow Chao, eh? Looks like it just got _very _interesting! Things are gonna heat up after this!


	10. Fighting is fun and dangerous

Chapter 10

Training

With the circumstances, Hooves thought it would be a good time to start training the clans, mostly Cosmos and Zero. Heart disliked the idea a lot, but Spirit agreed. "It is better to be prepared." He told her. "Better safe than sorry!" She sighed. "I know, but…it seems like everybody's battling. Nobody's safe."

Spirit patted her on the back. "Don't worry, it'll all work out in the end; we'll get the jewel back, discover the culprits, and return things to normal. Besides, it's good training for the little guys." He looked over at Cosmos and Zero practicing. Cosmos had his headband on and was shooting fire into the air, while Zero did several things to put it out. Cosmos once threw some on the lake by accident, and it didn't go out. They both stared at it in amazement.

Soul floated over to them. He looked at the lake. "Well, it seems your powers are growing remarkably, Cosmos! Invincible fires that never go out…interesting…" Zero looked over at him. "What're you training in?" Soul pulled out a weapon that looked like the Reaper's blade thingy. Zero and Cosmos blinked. Soul smirked. "This is the Phantom Blade. It is a very fast weapon, despite its appearance, and can cut through almost _anything_."

Cosmos grinned. "Really? That's awesome! I hope you train well!" Soul nodded at him. "I am! You should battle with me sometime; it'd be cool to fight you, Mr. Conflagration!" Cosmos blinked. Zero sighed. "He means 'fire dude', Cosmos." Cosmos nodded. "Okay…that's cool, I think I will!"

Soul mock saluted him. Cosmos grinned and saluted back. "Dismissed!"

They all laughed, and as Soul walked away Cosmos glanced over at Pyro. She was practicing with Aeon. Aeon just _happened _to be a fire/water mix. (No way! I thought the otter arms and phoenix stuff was justfor show!) She shot a ball of water at Pyro. She jumped over it and surrounded Aeon with a ring of fire. Aeon grinned and doused it quickly, but Pyro sent a barrage of fireballs at her.

Aeon leaped up over the cluster, hovered using her wings, and shot some fireballs back at her. Pyro grinned and put up a wall of fire, blocking the shots. Aeon suddenly shot a stream of water towards her, knocking her off of her…err, well, just knocking her over. She choked as Aeon glided towards her. Aeon shot a ray of fire at her, smiling.

Pyro suddenly back-flipped up and over, barely dodging the ray, and shot fireballs at her. Aeon had to swerve to dodge it, and nearly collided into a tree. She tilted up and flew above it, landing on its top branches. Pyro shot three fireballs at her. Aeon didn't move as they flew closer to her. Pyro smirked, thinking about how she was gonna rub her victory in.

Aeon suddenly kicked the first two fireballs back at her. She used her tail as a bat and slammed it away, a _little too close _– actually, heading straight towards – Zero and Cosmos. They dived out of the way, and the fireball crashed into the ground, making a huge crater of where Zero used to be. Zero stared at the crater, and looked at Aeon. She smiled nervously and giggled. "Oops, sorry…"

Zero looked at Cosmos and chuckled nervously. "Well, I think I'm hungry after all of that practice! Right, Cosmos?" Cosmos grinned. "Yeah, let's go get some fruit!" They ran off, and Pyro laughed. "It looks like they saw a ghost!" Aeon smiled at Zero as he ran off, looking back at her in surprise and…fear. "Yeah, I guess guys aren't the alpha Chao after all!" Pyro gave her a high-five. "I guess not, Aeon! You know, I like the way you think!"

Aeon looked at the ground, blushing. "Thanks, Pyro, I guess…"

1243927527538573256204583257324021859347598012385329067349673863885647124

(numbers mean time skip)

Eggman paced around in his lab. His thoughts were on the Supernovas. _Jewels containing powers similar to the Chaos Emeralds, but only work on the Chao…hmmm…it is a bit troubling…_

He looked up as he heard footsteps. A legless Dark Chao with a Sonic-like hairdo and red tints floated in. Two other Dark Chao, one tinted green with rings on its wrists and the other one all blue and a head swept back like Sonic's hair except without the spikes, stood by the door, looking at Eggman nervously. The red one held up a red jewel. Eggman smiled evilly at the Chao. "Good work, Snake! Now I – I mean, _we_ have a Supernova!" Snake nodded and handed him the jewel. Eggman snatched it and looked at it questioningly. "Hmmm… it looks just like a Chaos Emerald, but it is smaller in size…"

He sat in his chair and studied it under his microscope. Snake floated up and looked over his shoulder. He looked at the Chaos Emerald beside it. The Supernova was smaller, about as big as his orb. Eggman held it up to the light, and red danced around on the walls of the lab. He put it back down and rubbed his mustache. "I'm going to have to look into this…"

A tapping sound caused them to look at each other, before looking at the blue Chao. The green tinted Chao was hiding behind her, shaking his head at her, but he stopped when she glared at him. The blue Chao had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot to get their attention. "Why don't you do things without going over every step a thousand times?" She asked him, waving her arms in the air. "We should just get the rest from the other gardens and use them! You said so yourself that they only worked on Chao, so let's see what it'll do ourselves!"

She stomped over and snatched it off of the table. She looked at it and turned it every which way. "Where's the 'On' button?" Snake sighed and grabbed it. He glared at her. "It would be _wise_, Frost, to not take something out of the doctor's hand. We don't know what this will do. And it _is _impolite." Frost rolled her eyes. "Oh, be quiet, Mr. Sneaky! You woke up everyone in that garden, and you don't call _that _impolite? You hypocritical manner freak!"

The green tinted Chao waved his hands in the air in a pattern. Frost glared at him. "Shut up, Fingers, before I punch your lights out!" Fingers shrunk back, and Snake stood in front of him. "He's only a child, you could be more –"

Frost snapped, "Oh, shut up! I can't take your little 'goody-goody' style attitude! If you're so goody-goody, why do you work for _him_?" She pointed accusingly at Eggman. Snake stood...err, floatedthere, his eyes closed. Frost took a step forward, but he snapped his eyes open and glared right into hers. She froze, staring into his totally red eyes. He hissed, _"Don't challenge my antics, Frost! I am not to be questioned! Be silent!"_

Frost's eyes widened. She backed off and didn't say anything else. Snake closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. He opened his eyes slowly, which were back to normal. He looked up at Fingers. Fingers signed, 'You do know _why _you work for him, right?' Snake's eyes faltered for a moment, a flash of red slipping in and out of sight, but he said calmly, "I know why, Fingers, but I'd rather not delve into the subject at the moment."

Fingers nodded, and he backed up a bit to give him air. Eggman, of course, did not know sign language, and asked, "What did the little ra…I mean, _Fingers_, say?" Snake looked up at him. "He was just being a curious little soul again, doctor. Nothing to worry about." Eggman nodded. "Well, I will have to research into this, but in the meantime, I want you to get the rest of the Supernovas! Off with you, now!"

They all nodded and walked out, except for Snake. He floated. As he walked out of the secret base, he stopped and looked up at the stars. A shooting star shot across the sky. He whispered, "Black…I will come back someday…" Frost looked at him, far ahead. "Come _on_! We need to hurry if we're gonna get those jewels! Eggman's really impatient, you know!" Snake nodded and floated towards them. He thought to himself, _I will come back…_

_Brother…_

Black looked up from his perch on the giant tree next to the entrance of the Shadow garden. He looked around. He had thought he heard something. He glared into the shadows, trying to find anything that could hint to danger. After a few minutes, he concluded that he had heard something in his paranoia. He shook his head and looked up at the sky. The stars barely got through the low fog that covered the garden, very faint against the white.

He saw a shooting star zip along the stars. He thought about the moronic belief that shooting stars could grant wishes. He sighed. _I've never gotten what I've wanted… _He closed his eyes and remembered his brother, his best friend, and his partner in crime. They were the most mischievous little group of Chao in the whole garden. They pranked every Chao everyday at least twice.

Then, one day as they played by the entrance, plotting their next prank, something walked out of the shadows of the door. The figure snatched up his brother and left without a sound. Black looked around and called for him, thoroughly confused. The rest of the garden came over and found him sitting there, wiping tears from his eyes. The whole clan searched for him, and Hooves and Blazer even came around to look. But he was nowhere to be found.

Now, he had closed off to everyone, even his best friends, Spirit and Heart. He was always under a huge shell, hiding under there as a second him took over, a mask. He never slipped out of his shell, not even in his sleep. His rests were dark and thoughtless, more of a coma than anything. He never took off that mask.

He thought he heard laughing. He heard a kid say, "Come on, Black! Let's prank Spirit and Heart!" Another small, kid-ish voice said, "No, they're my friends! Let's get Mom instead!" The other voice laughed, "Yeah!"

Black looked up at the stars, his eyes shining as they watered a bit. But he never let the tears come out. He still hid behind that mask of his, protecting, and starving, himself from others. _Brother… _He looked back at the entrance and continued guarding it. He would let no one else disappear from his sight.

_Brother…_

Well, isn't that a little enlightenment? Now we know why Black's the way he is. It explains a lot. So, what will happen next? Find out by logging in to the next chapter!

Ja ne!


	11. Traveling at LAST!

Chapter Eleven

Traveling At Last!

Zero woke up before the sun rose and walked over to the lake. Sure enough, Aeon was swimming in the red water. She pumped her feet as she swam from one side of the lake to the other. Zero watched her lap around until she came out and dried her feathers. She looked up at Zero and smiled. "Well, hello, Zero! I see you're getting up earlier and earlier each day!"

Zero nodded, staring at the swirling water. Aeon cocked her head to the side. "Do you want to come in?" Zero looked up and shook his head. "No, I've gotta…I mean, it wouldn't be…" Aeon smiled. "Come on, just a short break! You've been working so hard, your arms look like they're about to fall off!" She motioned towards the water. "Do you wanna join me?"

That got him. He couldn't back down now; he had gotten himself into this. He sighed. "Alright, I'll go in. But just for a little while!" Aeon giggled. "Okay!" She leaped in and splashed Zero. He shook his head and jumped in. The cold water shocked him, waking him up instantly. He broke the surface and hacked up 'fruit punch', as Knuckles would say. Aeon laughed. "You're supposed to close your mouth when you're in the water, silly!"

Zero grinned and splashed her. She smiled and kicked water into his face. They splashed water back and forth until the water was frothy and bubbly. Aeon pushed him under the water, and he thrashed around and grabbed her leg. He pulled her under too, and she smiled at him. He pulled her up, and they both surfaced the water. Aeon splashed him, and he kicked her.

They heard someone coughing, and they looked up to see Cosmos tapping his foot, arms crossed, and an eyebrow raised. (He has eyebrows?)

(Zero and Cosmos in background: Be quiet so they can read!)

Zero smiled nervously. "Hey, Cosmos…what's up?"

Cosmos smirked. "_I'm_ up. You guys are really loud. Could you be any louder?"

Aeon giggled. "Sorry, Cosmos. I guess we were a bit loud." Cosmos rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Well, try to be quieter next time." He looked at Zero. "Hey, maybe you and I should spar, Zero. We should assess each other's abilities." Zero nodded. "That's an excellent idea, Cosmos." He climbed out of the water and dried himself off. Aeon came out as well and squeezed the water out of her tail. She watched Zero and Cosmos positioned themselves about three yards away from each other.

Zero took out his fan and opened it, slightly waving it to cool himself. Cosmos put his headband on and put up his hands. They stood there, waiting for the other to move. Finally, Zero snapped his hand and threw his fan at Cosmos. Cosmos leapt over it and shot a fireball at him. Zero ducked, and caught the fan as it zoomed back to his hand. He whirled up a whirlwind and blasted it towards him.

Cosmos put up a fire wall around himself, and when the air blew it out, he was gone. Zero held up his fan, looking for Cosmos. It was really quiet as he glanced around the garden, the sun still not up yet. Everyone was still asleep, surprisingly even Spirit and Heart. Suddenly, Cosmos sprang out from behind a tombstone and ran towards him, fire on his hands.

Zero whipped up a small tornado around him, and Cosmos ran in one side of it and out the other. He stopped and turned around. The tornado diminished, and Zero stood there, fan up. Cosmos grinned. "I see we've been practicing a lot, haven't we?" Zero nodded, and they ran at each other. Cosmos jabbed with his fiery punches, and Zero dodged and tried to push him away with his wind. They were at a stalemate.

They both blasted at each other, and the blast pushed them backwards. Cosmos and Zero both used their powers to slow their decent. They both stood there, panting and staring at each other. Then, they both put their fists down. (Work with me, here…)

(Cosmos and Zero tackle me. "SHUT UP!")

Cosmos walked over and shook his hand. "Great battle, Zero! We'll have to battle more often." Zero smiled. "Yeah, we might, someday." Aeon walked up to them and smiled at them. "That was amazing! I've never seen you guys actually battle it out before!" Zero smiled. "Yeah, well, we seem matched in strength. I guess we're better off fighting together than against."

Cosmos nodded. "We make a great team, the two of us." Zero grinned and punched him playfully on the shoulder. Cosmos smirked and tackled him. The rolled around on the ground, play fighting, when they heard someone coughing. They stopped and looked up. Pyro was looking at them with her arms crossed, a smirk on her face. Cosmos immediately stood up and brushed himself off.

Pyro laughed. "Well, I was told to come and bring you to Spirit, but it seems you're having too much fun to be bothered with." Cosmos shook his head. "No, we were just, uh, warming up. That's all." Zero scratched his head. "What does Spirit want?" Pyro shrugged. "He didn't say. He just told me to get you guys." Zero and Cosmos both looked at each other. Zero shrugged.

They followed Pyro to the entrance of the garden, where Spirit waited with Heart and Soul. Soul was talking to Spirit and Heart quietly, but stopped when they came up. Spirit nodded at Soul and turned to Cosmos. "In the circumstances, I think that you need extensive training."

Heart nodded. "You should learn more than basic attacks, if we're ever going to get the Supernova back." Spirit pulled out a map. "You shall travel to the other gardens and have them teach you all they know. It will help you in the battles ahead." Soul turned to Spirit. "But aren't they still children? They're too young to be on their own."

Spirit smiled. "That is exactly why you are to accompany them, as are Pyro and Aeon. They'll need all the help they can get." Soul opened his mouth to say something, shut it, and opened it again. Finally he gave up and walked off to get some fruit. Cosmos' eyes lit up at the thought of traveling around to the other gardens and learning battle techniques. Zero dreamed about being a hero.

Then, Zero stopped smiling. "Didn't you go over this before? Didn't you say that he would have to go to a bunch of Chao to learn how to fight, _including _Black?" Cosmos froze in the middle of his happy dance, standing on one foot. "Black?" He fell over, and quickly got up and brushed himself off. Pyro and Aeon giggled, and you could barely see a little bit of red stain his cheeks.

Spirit nodded. "Yes, you will learn from different Chao, and Black. That is what you have to do in order to sustain your position as the Chaos clan leader." Cosmos groaned as he sat on the ground, dazed and exhausted before the journey even began. Spirit smiled and patted his head. "Don't worry, Cosmos, it's only for a while. After that, you'll be ready to help us in the confrontation of the culprits."

Cosmos sighed, a look of exasperation on his face. Then, it was immediately replaced with a look of determination as he clenched his fist (…yeah…) and smirked. "I won't let a little dislike get in the way of my destiny! I'll be the best leader around!" Zero smiled and patted him on the back. "And I'll be behind ya all the way!" Aeon stood beside him. She smiled. "I'll help, too!"

Pyro floated beside Cosmos and put his arm around her waist. She smirked at his surprise. "Count me in!" Cosmos looked away sheepishly as Zero and Aeon covered each other's mouths to stop from laughing out loud. Spirit smiled as he handed Cosmos a bag. "Don't get too carried away, Tiger. You're still a kid." Cosmos smirked. "I'm not just a kid! I've grown up a lot since my foot-chewing days."

Spirit laughed. "Yeah, you have grown up a lot. You're getting smarter each day." He smirked and whispered in his ear, (Ear…right…) "I'm afraid you might get smarter than me!" Cosmos smirked back at him. "You never know." Spirit chuckled and rubbed him on the head. "Yeah, well, stay out of trouble, Cosmos. This isn't all just a game, you know."

Heart came walking over, her eyes watering as she looked at Cosmos and Zero. She hugged them both tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Don't get hurt out there, okay?" Cosmos grunted as he slipped out of her death grip. "I will, but you're not helping much! I need that neck." Heart smiled as she let go of Zero, who collapsed on the ground and gasped for air, and turned to Aeon. She hugged her too, and whispered, "Stay safe, Aeon, and keep an eye on these boys."

Aeon smiled and hugged her back. "Don't worry, Heart. I promise nothing bad will happen to them." Heart let go of her and nodded, and turned to Pyro. She looked at Heart and gulped. Heart grabbed her and squeezed her tight. Pyro tried to get out of her grip, but Heart held on tight. When she finally let her go, Pyro dusted herself off. "You'd think we we're going into an inferno or something with how you're acting." She smiled slyly. "Nothing bad is gonna happen to us, Heart, so make sure you don't flood the lake. Okay?"

Heart nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. Spirit put his arm around and tried to calm her down as Cosmos looked up at the entrance/exit of the garden. Zero stood beside him, waiting for him to start walking. Cosmos took a deep breath and looked at Zero. "Are you in this with me?" Zero smiled and took out his fan. "To the end of time, pal." Cosmos nodded and put his headband on. Pyro stood beside Cosmos and smirked. "So, are we going or what?" Aeon flew overhead and smiled back at them. "Whoever's last is a rotten egg!"

Zero smiled as Cosmos yelled back at her, "Hey, no fair! I can't fly!" He ran after her, and Pyro ran after him, smirking. Soul floated after them and yelled for them to slow down and wait for him. Zero looked back at the garden, taking in everything before he left for who knows how long. He stood there for a moment, remembering the good times, before Cosmos yelled back at him, "Are ya stuck, Zero? Come on, time won't stop for ya!" Zero turned to him and smiled, before he ran towards him, laughing and enjoying the start of their journey.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, they start their journey? What will happen? Will chaos ensue? WILL ZERO LEARN HOW TO FLY?

...I don't know.

Read on sometime to find out! (When I update! O.o;; )


	12. Animals Galore

Chapter Twelve

Animals Galore

Cosmos looked up at the entrance to the Fauna Clan's garden. The tiger Chao statue seemed to want to come to life and attack him. He gulped and looked at Zero beside him. He was looking up at the statues too. He looked back at Cosmos. "Well, I guess this is our first stop, since it's closest." Cosmos nodded. Aeon stood there, staring at it in awe. "The door's huge!"

Pyro pushed Cosmos and Zero aside. "Hey, are we gonna go in, or are we gonna imitate those statues?" She walked (floated, you guys know what I mean!) into the door and disappeared into the darkness. Cosmos and Zero looked at each other, before they both ran in. Aeon followed. Soul was the last to enter the door. After a brief moment of a floating like feeling, they found themselves in a huge meadow.

A ram leapt past them as they walked around the meadow, looking for Falcon, the Fauna clan leader. Instead, they found a yellow tinted ram Chao that looked like it was almost a Hero Chao. He looked at them curiously, but when Soul stepped…I mean, floated up, he smiled and walked over to them. Soul stuck out his hand, and the ram Chao hit the top and bottom of it before he grabbed it and brought them together into a kind of bear hug.

Soul patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, Buck! What's up, man?"

Buck smiled and waved his hand in the air. "Crazy, man, crazy! Everybody's running around and training and junk. It's like the Hero and Dark War all over again!" He looked over his shoulder at Cosmos and them. Cosmos was giving Zero a noogie, while Aeon and Pyro tried hard not to laugh. Soul turned and looked at them. "Yeah, well, I'd love to talk and hang out, but I'm afraid this isn't a little 'hello' visit."

Buck nodded. "Yeah, I know what's up. Falcon filled me on everything. Now, let's meet this motley crew of yours!" They walked over to the group, and Buck stepped forward. "Hey, Cos, I'm Buck!" Cosmos made a face at being called 'Cos', but Zero smiled at him. "Hey, Buck! I'm Zero, and this is Pyro," he pointed at Pyro looking Buck up and down, "and Aeon." She smiled and shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Buck!"

Buck smiled back. "It's nice to meet you too, Ms. Aeon. I'm afraid I haven't met many pretty young ladies such as you!" Aeon blushed and looked away. Zero frowned, a little jealous. Wait, _why was he jealous?!? _Buck turned to Pyro and bowed. "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am. Such wonderful company is few and rare."

Pyro smiled, obviously liking the attention. "Why, thank you! It's nice to see a gentleman around here!"

Cosmos glared at Buck, hatred written in his eyes. Zero nudged him and whispered, "Do you think he does it on purpose? It looks like it comes natural to him." Cosmos watched as Buck led Aeon and Pyro over to the group of Chao in the middle of the garden. "Perhaps…"

Soul smiled at their angry expressions. _What a pair…when one's mad, so is the other. You would think they were brothers or something! _He walked past them and said, still smirking, "Come on, we've got to meet Falcon. He'll teach you some of the basic things about leadership!"

Zero and Cosmos looked at each other, shrugged, and ran after him. They ran over to a group of Chao by a lake, as clear as the Supernova Blazer had back at the Cloud Council. They saw a Chao with all phoenix features except for dragon wings fly over them. Cosmos nudged Zero, who stopped staring and ran over to the group on the opposite side of the lake.

Buck and the girls were there, along with Soul and some other Chao. He had purple bird wings, feet, and tail, and had a yellow tint to him, just like Buck. He was smiling and talking to Soul, laughing at some joke. He saw Cosmos and Zero running towards them, and said something to Soul before he walked past him and walked towards them.

Cosmos and Zero screeched to a halt in front of him, panting tons. Falcon handed them each a glass of water, and they downed it easily and gave it back to him, wiping their mouths. "Thanks!" They both said, smiling and grateful. Falcon nodded. "No problem. Now, about the reason of your visit…"

Cosmos smiled his famous pointy grin. "I'm here to learn, of course!" Zero patted him on the back. "Both of us!" Falcon nodded. "Yes, I see…" He smiled. "Well, follow me; we have much to cover and little time to spare!" Cosmos stretched lazily. "What's the rush? Where's the emergency?" Falcon frowned. "I'm afraid Dr. Robotnik has already sent out to take the Supernovas away from their hiding places, and we can't allow him to get his greasy hands on one!"

Buck nodded. "That fat egg's already seduced dozens of poor Chao to become his slaves, and tortured them by inchaomane means."

They all shivered. Soul floated over to them. "What happened?" he asked, smirking. "Did you guys see a ghost?" Falcon smiled again. "No, Soul, we were just discussing the evil egg of the Other World." Cosmos made a face, making Zero snicker. Soul smiled. "Well, you've already made friends with Cosmos and Zero, I see." Falcon nodded. "It's best to have more friends than enemies."

Soul smiled. "Yeah, I guess." He held out his hand. "Well, I'm gonna go show Aeon and Pyro around the place, so you don't have to worry about them. I'll be seeing you!" Falcon shook his hand. "See you later, alligator!" Soul smirked as he walked off. "After a while, crocodile!" Cosmos scratched his head. "I don't get it."

Zero grinned at his puzzled expression. "It rhymes, stupid!" Cosmos tackled him. "Oh, yeah? Who's stupid _now_?!?" They rolled around a little, until Falcon whistled loudly. They got up and dusted themselves off, and Falcon beckoned them over to a small bush. He crawled into the bush, and disappeared. Cosmos and Zero looked at each other, before they crouched down and crawled after him.

They found themselves going down, but not vertical or anything. It was gentle enough not to force them to grab the ground or anything. After about ten yards, they crawled out of the bushes and found themselves in a little clearing with a pot cooking over the fire. Falcon was putting some kind of plant into the pot, humming as he worked. Cosmos stared at the pot. "We're gonna learn how to cook?"

Are they? You'll find out in the next chapter of 'The Chao Chronicles 1: The Supernovas'!

Ja ne!


	13. Trouble for Double

Chapter 13

Trouble for Double

Falcon laughed. "No, Cosmos, we're gonna learn something that you might need to use later on, though I hope you don't have to." He picked up two huge leaves with a ton of leaves and berries and stuff and handed them to Cosmos and Zero. "Potions." Cosmos stared at the leaf. "How exactly does that help?"

Falcon smiled. "That is what I'm going to show you." He took out a bowl and dipped it into the brew, and handed them the bowl. "What do you see?" Cosmos stared at the water. "I see my reflection." Zero rolled his eyes. "Cosmos, can you _ever _be serious?" Cosmos looked at him and smiled. "Nope!"

Falcon smiled. "Well, you better change that quick, 'cause Chao are really hyping up now that news of the Supernovas' out. We better get you ready before the whole world goes out of control!"

Cosmos stared the bowl again. "So we're going to help the world by making soup?" Zero slapped his forehead. "Geez, Cosmos! Stop messing around!"

Falcon grinned and shook his head. "Have you kids ever heard of the Chao named Lily?" Zero and Cosmos both shook their heads. Falcon smiled and sat down on a log. "Well, nobody knows where she's gone, but she was the best healer in the world of Chao! She could brew something to knock out an army, and yet heal another army with just a drop each! She's been known all around for her potions, but nobody's seen her for a while. She just…disappeared."

Zero shivered. "That's creepy…"

Cosmos nodded. "You said it."

Falcon smiled at them. "Well, I want to teach you how to make potions; maybe not as powerful as hers, but just as helpful." He nodded at the leaves. "Open them."

Zero and Cosmos opened them, and in them was a bunch of flowers and berries. Cosmos sighed. "Oh, boy…"

_Meanwhile…_

Frost motioned towards the other two Chao far behind her. "Come on! Hurry, slowpokes!"

They were hiking through the weird reality that separated the human world from the Chao gardens.

Fingers signed to Snake, 'She's a big pain!'

Snake nodded. "Yeah, I know."

The floor beneath them seemed to show space, and the many teleporting pads showed that anyone around the world could come. Nothing came to meet them, however, and they continued their trek in ease.

Sort of…

Frost kept prompting them to hurry up, which really worked on Snake's nerves. He floated up to her and said, "Could you stop?"

She looked at him. "No, I can't stop! We've got a job to do, and you know how impatient Eggman is. We have to do this quickly!"

Snake sighed. "That's a first…"

Frost glanced at him as they continued walking. "What's a first?"

Fingers beside her signed, 'It's a first that you want to actually do Eggman's orders!'

Frost glared at him, and he shrunk back. She scoffed and looked ahead. "Well, we need the dough, anyways! He said he'd pay us lots of rings to do this!"

Fingers looked at Snake questioningly and asked him, 'Can't we just get fruit from one of the gardens?'

Snake nodded his head and whispered behind Frost's back to him, "Yes, but Frost likes to hold money in her pocket because she's greedy."

Frost stopped, and they both bumped into her. She whirled around and glared at them both. "I heard that!"

Fingers signed, 'No, you didn't!'

She glared at him. "Shut up!"

He stepped back, but Snake stepped up to his defense. "Well, you _are_ greedy. It's not our fault we see it!"

Frost crossed her arms and looked way. "I'm not greedy!"

Snake crossed his arms and looked at her with a 'you-_are_-kidding-right?' look on his face. "Oh no, you're _never_ greedy…except back when we had nothing to eat because you stashed our cash away, and when we got caught because you just _had _to get the _last _ring in the vault, _and _when –

"Alright, alright! I get the idea!" Frost crossed her arms and looked away from both of them. "You don't have to be so cruel about it!"

Fingers was about to sign something, but Snake interrupted him, "Let's just go and get this over with! Fingers and I have to watch over that little Chao, and his friends, too! Meanwhile, Frost, you have to sneak around all of these gardens and try to learn the locations of the other Supernovas."

Frost smirked and turned away. "I won't just _try_ to find them; I _will!_" She hurried off, disappearing into the dark shadows of the huge lobby. Snake sighed and turned to Fingers. "Let's go, Fingers; we have a job to do."

Fingers nodded quietly and followed him as they continued to hike around more. Snake had a lot on his mind, so the little green Chao didn't ask him anything. He just stayed behind him as he looked into each of the gardens quickly to see if it was the right one.

Finally, after lots of searching, Fingers dared to ask him, 'Have we found him yet?'

Snake looked at him and sighed. "If we had found them, we would have stopped a long –" He stopped suddenly (both walking and talking) as he heard something. Fingers picked up his hands to ask him what was wrong, but Snake grabbed them quietly and put a hand to silently 'shh' him. They both quickly hid on top of a door frame right as something came out of the garden. They looked in surprise as they saw it was the Chao they were looking for.

There was the little black Chao with the neutral Chao, laughing about something. Then, an orange Chao with otter arms and phoenix everything else walked out beside a no-legged dark Chao with two horn-like/ponytail-like things on her head and a purple-ish mask on her face. After that, another legless Chao with peacock feathers on his head came out talking to a completely condor Chao with yellow tint. They waved at each other, and the yellow-tinted Chao went back into the garden.

Snake looked at Fingers and put a hand to his mouth again (in the whole 'shh' sign thing) and they watched them cluster around the entrance. The Chao they were trying to follow looked at the neutral and said, "That was weird, Zero! That Falcon kept saying some strange things! I couldn't understand a word he was saying!"

He looked at Zero, who was mumbling to himself. "Hey, Zero? Ya listening?"

Zero looked up at him and blinked. "Oh, sorry, Cosmos, I was…thinking about something…" He trailed off as his gaze slowly floated over at the phoenix/otter and legless horned Chao.

Snake narrowed his eyes. "This could get interesting…" He whispered to Fingers and quietly snuck down the frame and stood behind the tiger statue. Finger stood behind him, and they watched from in between the tiger's legs as the legless Chao that was talking with the Chao from the garden before raised his hands and said, "Alright, what garden's next?"

The dark legless Chao raised her hand. "How about Shadow Clan, Soul?"

Cosmos and Zero immediately shook there heads and said in unison, "No!" They all laughed, and Soul said, "Well, does anyone _other _than Pyro have a suggestion?"

The orange Chao raised her hand, and Soul said calmly, "Yes, Aeon?"

She looked down timidly and mumbled, "Well, I was wondering if we could go to either Sky or Aqua Clan…" She looked extremely embarrassed, with blush staining her cheeks. (Don't ask me if Chao can blush, cuz I'll only say 'They do now!')

Soul nodded. "Yes, we can. We'll settle this with a vote." He cleared his throat and said slightly louder, "Who votes for Sky Clan?"

Pyro and Zero raised their hands, and Aeon stood there unsure of what to do. Soul looked at Cosmos and Aeon. "Would you guys say Aqua Clan?"

Cosmos nodded, and after a moment Aeon looked down and barely shook her head 'yes'.

Soul stood there for a moment, started pointing at the ground in turn (left, right, left, right) mumbling to himself, before he smiled and said, "Sky Clan's first!" He looked at a bummed out Cosmos and shook his head. "Don't worry, Cosmos; we'll go to Aqua Clan afterwards."

Cosmos brightened up, and they all walked off with Soul in the lead, and Cosmos and Zero right behind him. Snake looked back at Fingers and signaled for him to follow. Fingers nodded, and they began their pursuit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, what will happen next? What will Snake and Fingers uncover? What is Frost doing in the meantime?

Well, I have no clue, because I haven't written it yet! But, stay tuned for the next chapter of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!

Ja ne!


	14. Skies of Hope

Chapter 14

Skies of Hope

The group of Chao entered the garden and was immediately awed. Clouds floated everywhere, with Chao sitting on them or jumping off of them, and a waterfall that seemed to fall straight from the sky, and after landing on some of the cushiony cloud floor disappearing in a hole in the ground. The light sparkled off of the water, causing the garden to light up like a Christmas tree.

As soon as they entered a couple of yards farther into the garden, a Chao approached them. She was obviously the leader, as she seemed to have an aura of authority. She was a Hero Chao with a pair of phoenix wings, dragon limbs, and floppy bunny ears as well as a bunny tail. She glided down from one of the clouds and alighted in front of them, her ears falling in front of her face as she bowed at them. She stood straight and pushed them out of the way before addressing them, "Hello, Soul. This must be Cosmos and Zero, whom I've heard so much about." The two smiled nervously as she firmly shook both of their hands.

She glanced at the girls and said, "Well, this is a surprise!" Her eyes seemed to loiter as she caught sight of Pyro, eyeing her carefully and closely. Pyro let a small, sly smirk slip before she extended her hand out and said coolly, "I would be Pyro, and I've come along to watch over the boys."

The Chao didn't take her hand but instead nodded and glanced at Aeon. "And this is…"

"Aeon." Soul supplied her and walked over beside her. "She's come as well."

The Chao nodded again, examining them both closely. Aeon became a bit nervous and looked down and shuffled her feet. Pyro just smirked and crossed her arms, staring back at the Chao. They seemed to be in a staring contest, but finally the other Chao broke off and looked back at Cosmos and Zero. "I am Angel, leader of Sky Clan. I specialize in flying tactics." She glanced back and flapped her phoenix wings before turning back around and continuing. "I'm guessing Spirit sent you?" The two boys both nodded.

Angel sighed and mumbled under her breath, "I knew the day would come, but not so quickly…" She turned her back on them and commanded, "Follow me." She then flapped her wings and took off, a slight trail of flames behind her each time she flapped. Cosmos and Zero looked at each other before they ran after her, with the girls and Soul close behind.

_Meanwhile, back at the Chaos Clan Garden…_

Jade sighed for the millionth time and glanced at the entrance. She was sitting down with her back up against one of the crooked trees in the garden. Heart watched her as she began tapping the ground with her flute, a miserable look on her face. Heart was confused as she watched her daughter look glumly at the flute and set it down beside her. _Just yesterday, she was happy as can be after they left on their adventure. Now, she looks as if she'll never play the flute again…_ After a moment of thought, she sighed and mumbled to herself, "Not that she played it much, _anyway_…"

"Who, Jade?" Spirit asked as he watched his wife's face fill with worry. He put a hand on her shoulder and assured her, "I'm sure she's just sad she couldn't go on her own journey." Heart looked at him doubtfully. "I don't think it's that; otherwise, she would have said it aloud herself. You know her, dear."

Spirit nodded, and Heart looked on sadly as Jade picked up one of the fruit that lay on the ground and took a bite out of it. She wasn't as civilized as she was when the others were there. As she chewed on the fruit, a peacock came over and tilted its head at her. She glanced at it, sighed, and took another bite of the fruit. The peacock chirped once before it ran off, leaving the depressed Chao with her fruit.

Spirit looked at Heart and suggested. "Maybe you should go talk to her."

Heart looked back at him and mumbled, "Should I bother her? She doesn't exactly like to talk to me much. What if she wants to be left alone?"

Spirit flashed his toothy grin and chuckled. "Well, it won't help her to sit and mope around." He gently held her hand and squeezed it. "Besides, I've heard 'girl talks' help them keep on the right track."

Heart smiled at him and squeezed back. "Yes, I guess I should." She slowly walked over towards where Jade sat and cleared her throat. "Jade? Is something the matter?" The mostly bird Chao looked up at her mother and sighed. "Nothing…"

Heart came over and sat beside her. "Are you sure, dear? You seem troubled by something."

Jade didn't answer, and Heart put her hand over hers soothingly. "You know you can tell me _anything_, Jade. I'm always here for you."

Jade looked up at her, joy and tears in her eyes. "Thanks, Mom." Heart smiled at her and comforted her, "Your welcome. Now, what's wrong?"

Jade looked down at the ground. "Well, ever since they've left, I've been thinking… Cosmos and Zero are the best of friends, Aeon and Pyro stick with them, Soul looks after all of them…" She looked up at her. "But, what about me? I'm left out…"

Heart thought to herself, _So Spirit was partially right._ "Well, you have always told them to leave you alone, so they kept away from you. In a way, it's partly your fault."

Jade sighed. "I know, but…it's just so…quiet. I miss the sounds of Cosmos and Zero playing, Pyro flirting with them, Aeon splashing in the water…even…me and Soul's bickering."

Heart smiled and explained, "Well, it is nice to be alone every once in a while, but you shouldn't be in solitude for too long; it's terrible to be alone long enough for you to miss the company of those that annoy you."

Jade looked up curiously. "You talk as if you know more from personal experience than motherly instinct." Heart smiled at her and replied, "I've come down a long road to become leader. Spirit can tell you the same thing."

Jade smiled and hugged her. "Thank you." Heart hugged her back, happy to settle things between them and help her feel better. "You're welcome, dear. Now, how about playing something on your flute?"

_With Frost…_

Frost had been hiding in the Fauna Clan Garden when she growled in frustration and slipped out, her temper growing. She couldn't find out _anything_ of the location of any other Supernovas. She walked out in the lobby, wondering how she was going to get any information. _They're always so quiet…_ she fumed to herself. _It's almost as if they whisper on purpose._

She had been walking a while when she thought she heard someone's footsteps. She whipped around, her fists up and ready.

But no one was there.

Her eyes zipped around, looking for a hint of danger, but saw none. She narrowed her eyes, but eventually started walking again. Her thoughts went back to Snake's eyes when she had questioned him working for Eggman. She shivered, although it wasn't cold in the lobby. _Talk about a party killer…I'd hate to get on his bad side._

As she wondered what made his eyes like that, she thought she heard something clanking. She whirled around, but again nothing was there. She growled and put her hands down. "Stupid paranoia, making me hear things…" She scoffed and continued walking, but she listened closely, and she walked a bit slower. She began to get suspicious as she kept herself on 'high alert' mode.

Eventually, after about ten minutes of walking, she was about to think it was all in her head when she heard a loud screech. It sounded almost metallic, like from a machine. Frost immediately turned around and shouted, "Who's there?"

Of course, she heard no reply, as she hadn't seen anyone following her in the first place (and someone hiding wouldn't have answered her, anyways). She almost began to think she was going nuts and was about to snap when someone said, "What are you shouting at?"

She whirled around again, and saw a Chao standing behind her. He was a Dark Chao that seemed to be all black, and he was leaning against the entrance to a garden. Frost was relieved he wasn't what she thought it was, but he interrupted her thoughts by asking, "What are you doing here?"

Frost was about to snap at him when an idea popped into her head. She immediately switched tracks and put on a fake smile. "I've lost my friend, and I seem to have lost myself. This place between gardens is just so huge!" She looked at him and asked, "Do you know where I am?"

The Chao stared at her and answered, "You are at the entrance of the Shadow Clan Garden, and I suggest you leave immediately." He stood up straight and was about to leave into his garden when Frost grabbed his arm and begged, "But I can't! I have no idea which way is the teleportation pad back to my friend's house, and I have nowhere else to go!" She looked at him pleadingly. "Can I please stay with you?"

The Chao shook her hands off and said harshly, "You should find your own place to stay; I hospitalize _no_ house-born Chao." He turned and was about to leave when she cried, "Please! I need to find somewhere to stay so I can find John!" Her eyes pricked with fake tears. She was a _wonder_ at fake crying. "If I don't find him, I…I don't know what I will do!"

Black looked back at her on the ground sobbing, his face expressionless as he stood silently. She kept up the act, wondering if he would actually accept her. He seemed pretty cold. He just watched her sit in her own puddle of crocodile tears. After a while, Frost was about to give up and leave to sucker someone else when he muttered, "Fine."

Frost looked up to see him walk into the garden. She sat there for a moment, a bit shocked, but she quickly recovered and stood up. She wiped away the tears and was barely able to suppress a smirk. _Men are **too** easy!_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well? How was it? Come on, you can tell me the truth! What is Frost up to? How will Cosmos' training with Angel turn out? And what will become of Jade back home? Tune in to the next chapter to find out! See ya later, at chapter 15 of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!

Ja ne!


	15. Clouds of Dreams

Chapter 15

Clouds of Dreams

Angel dodged Cosmos' charge by flying up in the air. He growled in frustration as she called from above, "I _told_ you, don't do things that are obvious! Otherwise, everyone will be able to dodge you and knock you off of your feet!"

Cosmos groaned and grumbled, "If I could fly, it would be a lot easier…"

"Life wasn't meant to be easy, Cosmos," Soul called from the sidelines. "Besides, you _would_ be able to fly if you actually_ tried_!" Zero just stood behind him with Pyro and Aeon, mumbling to himself. He absentmindedly watched Cosmos throw fireballs at Angel, which she avoided easily with loop-de-loops and dives and climbs. She blew gusts of wind towards him, and he dodged them with little grace. Finally, in his frustration, Cosmos swirled a huge inferno and threw it in the air towards her. Angel backpedaled and had to do quite a couple of backwards summersaults to dodge it, but it still got the tip of her tail. She yelped and grabbed her tail, losing a little altitude. She looked back at Cosmos who had his arms crossed and seemed to be sulking.

She slowly glided down and landed in front of him. After she blew the little flame that had lit up on her tail, she held out her hand and said, "You're getting better, but you need more practice. It might be a good idea to start learning how to fly." Cosmos 'hmphed' and glumly shook her hand. As Soul and the others tried to cheer him up, a Hero Chao with huge phoenix wings flew towards the leader. The newcomer whispered in her ear, and she smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's an excellent idea. Do bring some for the group, as well." The Chao nodded and flew off, and Angel turned towards Cosmos and them and announced, "Some of my clan has arrived with fruit from the Cloud Council, and you are invited to the feast."

Everyone cheered except Cosmos, who was still a little down. Zero looked at his pal and patted him on the back. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it eventually." Cosmos just sighed and followed Angel towards a clump of clouds where a fruit was piled into a huge stack. They heard Soul gasp and he ran (floated…WHATEVER!!!) over and picked up fruit. "It's the fruit the girls brought back from the Cloud Council back at home!"

Pyro's eyes widened. "You mean the fruit with sour skin on the outside…"

"…And the sweet and tenderness on the inside?" Cosmos finished, his mouth watering at the mere mention of it. The Chao with the phoenix wings from earlier smiled and added, "Plus some coconuts, Hero fruit, Dark fruit, bananas, apples, oranges, and some –"

He didn't finish as he noticed the whole group had already run over to the pile and started eating. He shrugged and joined in. As Zero ate peacefully, he couldn't help but glance over at Aeon. She was nibbling civilly, reminding him of Jade, and chatting with Pyro, who was showing interest in her words. His gaze drifted to Cosmos, and his face lit up with a smile as he watched his lifelong pal chomping away at a Dark fruit. His body seemed to grow darker with each bite, too.

After a moment of thought, his smile flipped into a frown of question and wonder. Why did Cosmos lean so much towards the Dark side? Why did he acquire such a taste for Dark fruit? He seemed very just, with morals and pride and against almost everything sneaky and mischievous Dark Chao seemed to have. So why did he turn darker each day? He tapped his buddy on the shoulder and, when he turned around, asked him, "Why do you like Dark fruit?"

Cosmos gulped down a mouthful of fruit and replied, "What do you mean, 'why do I like it'? It tastes _wonderful!_" His eyes twinkled like stars as he drooled slightly. "The tenderness of the fruit, with the tough skin and the spicy explosion when you take a bite! It's like eating a bomb!" He took one as demonstration and popped the whole thing in his mouth. As he chewed, his expression went from slight shock to satisfaction to plain dreamy. Zero smiled, thinking to himself, _no wonder! It's because of taste. I should have known. _Zero pondered this, but was interrupted when Cosmos asked him, "Why _don't_ you like Dark fruit?"

Zero stopped, and at first he had no answer. Then, after a moment, he slowly replied, "The taste is too strong; it's too hot and burns my mouth. The first bite is like setting off explosions on my tongue I can't control. And the skin tastes like cardboard."

Cosmos blinked. "So does butterscotch at first."

Zero nodded. "Yeah, but this is different; it stays cardboard."

Cosmos sighed and shook his head. "Well, you're missing out on some awesome food, buddy!" He snatched something and was about to eat it when he realized it was a mushroom. He quickly flung it away and made a face. "Yuck!"

Zero grinned. "That reminds me off when we were back home!"

Cosmos smirked back, memories coming back to him. "'No mushwoom!'"

Zero laughed, recalling that night. "Bad!"

They both laughed, but after a while Cosmos looked down, a sudden sadness plain on his face. "I wish we were back home…"

Zero looked at him and reassured, "Don't worry! Someday, we'll go back and tell everyone about where we've been, and we'll be famous!"

Cosmos looked up at his friend, and soon he was grinning again. "Thanks, Zero."

Zero smiled. "No prob, Cosmos."

_Watching them, Snake and Fingers…_

'How much longer are we going to hide in the clouds?' Fingers signed, bored. They were, as he said (signed), hiding in a clump of clouds that served as their cover about seven yards away from the pile of food. Snake had a pair of binoculars and was spying on them, while Fingers was doing whatever he could to occupy himself. But, he had just run out of amusing things to do, and was bothering Snake.

Snake sighed. "If you weren't a mute, I would bet my life that someone would throw you in a lake to shut you up." He looked back at the disapproving look on the green Chao's face. "Sorry, but it's true."

Fingers sighed and signed, 'Well, they aren't doing anything interesting right now. It's so _boring._' He put his head on his hand and sighed again as Snake ignored him. The older Chao was focused on trying to read the target's lips. He had little success at first, but he soon began to comprehend that the darkening Chao was telling a story to the others. At times, they burst with laughter, and others they questioned him. Snake wished he could hear what they were saying, but that would be dangerous; he was in stealth mode, nothing more.

Fingers tapped his shoulder as the screen on the communicator flickered to life. Snake quickly put on the headphones and watched as Eggman's face appeared on the screen. He asked the Chao, "How is your progress?"

Snake glanced at Fingers before replying, "Not so good; we haven't gotten a reply from Frost, and it is too risky to get close to the targets to reveal any information. They have Chao all around them, and we don't want to cause alarm."

The doctor nodded. "I see…" After a moment, he gave them instructions. "Get a hold of Frost and see her progress on finding anything about the Supernovas." Snake nodded. "Yes, Doctor. Right away." As the screen went blank once again, Fingers asked, 'What now?'

Snake looked back at the young Chao and smiled. "Now…we wait."

Fingers showed his displeasure by flopped down on the ground and making faces at him as he picked up his binoculars and went back to spying on the targets.


	16. Hearts of Frost

Chapter 16

Hearts of Frost

As Frost walked into the garden, she couldn't help but shiver. The whole place was covered in fog, and it gave it an eerie feel. She couldn't see any other Chao in the garden, but she also couldn't see three feet in front of her, either. She wondered how they could live in such a place.

She walked around until she almost ran into a tree. She blinked for a moment in confusion, but a snuffling sound distracted her. She looked around, searching for the source of the sound. Then, a fruit fell down and hit her head, and she hissed as she held it and looked up. Something jumped out of the tree and stood to look at her. A raccoon Dark Chao stood before her. He kept twitching his ears and glancing around nervously, as if he was in trouble. He titled his head and asked, "And who's this? Never seen you before!"

The black Chao glanced at Frost, who realized she hadn't given a name, and she quickly supplied, "Frost."

"Jinx's the name." The raccoon ears twitched once more, and he looked at the black Chao for answers. He had already walked away, though, and soon disappeared in the mist. Frost frowned as he left and muttered, mostly to herself, "Is he _always_ so dark and mysterious?"

Jinx chuckled, and she turned to look at him surprised as he said, "Black's been like that most of his life. The leader isn't exactly 'happy-go-lucky'." Then, he glanced around as if he shouldn't have said that. Frost noted this behavior with curiosity. _It seems he's afraid…Black must keep a pretty strict order. _After a moment, Frost looked at him and smirked. "Black, huh? That's his name?"

Jinx nodded. "He's been called that for a long time. I don't remember why, though; it's not his _real_ name."

Frost smiled inwardly as she watched the raccoon Chao talk on and on of what his leader did. _This is almost too easy! He's a fountain of information._ She listened to him talk how Black and two of his 'friends' were in the Dark and Hero War. "He was a bit looser those days, always joking around with Heart and Spirit, as well as causing trouble. No one was in the safe zone when he was around. As far as he knew, everyone was a target. Even his mother! He was one of the trickiest little tykes, along with his broth…" He suddenly stopped, making Frost blink, before he muttered under his breath, "I shouldn't have said that – oh no! I should have kept my mouth shut! Oh, Black will have my head!" He quickly ran off into the fog before Frost could stop him and disappeared.

Frost was about to call to him, but she thought better against it. _If the guy's gonna be in __**that**__ much trouble, its __**obvious**__ there's a secret here…_ She smirked in anticipation. _I can't wait to learn what it is!_

_Back at the Chaos Clan's home…_

Heart was surprised to hear her name being called, and she turned around to see Jade running over to her with a smile on her face. Confused, she almost fell over when she heard, "I'm going!"

Heart blinked, puzzled. "Wha?"

Jade looked as if she couldn't stop smiling. "I'm going to find Cosmos and them!"

Heart froze, taking a moment to absorb the information, before she stuttered, "Y-y-you're going on an a-adventure?" Jade nodded quickly, and Heart looked sad for a moment. The thought of the only kid she had left with her leaving was very heart-breaking. Then, she tried to smile as she said, "That's great, honey! I'm glad to see you're so happy!"

Jade nodded again, barely able to control her excitement. She hugged Heart and said, "I love you, Heart!"

Heart hugged her back, tears in her eyes. "I love you too, Jade!" She squeezed her tightly before letting go and smiling. "Keep out of trouble!"

"I will!" Jade turned to leave, but she remembered Spirit. She looked around and found him sitting by the lake, collecting his thoughts. She ran over and hugged him, and the unexpected action caused him to jump. She explained, "I'm going after them, Spirit! See ya soon!"

Spirit patted her on the back and grinned. "Yeah, see ya later, Jade. Keep Soul and them out of trouble." He looked at her meaningfully, and she looked down and blushed. She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek before she ran off towards the exit of the garden.

Spirit and Heart both waved at her as she left. Spirit glanced over to see her crying silently. He wrapped an arm around her reassuringly and whispered, "It'll be okay; we'll see them again soon."

Heart nodded, trying to smile through her tears. She hugged Spirit, and they stared at the entrance where their second oldest daughter had left them for her journey.

_At Eggman's Base, watching them…_

Eggman sneered as he watched the Chao comfort each other while the other left. "Perfect…they're all alone and unsuspecting! The perfect time to launch my plan!" He pressed a button on his control panel and turned around in his seat as the chair began to descend into the floor like an elevator. He couldn't wait to trap that black Chao with the fuzzy ears and get him to tell him where the other Supernovas were; he had watched him go into that cloud garden with Supernovas and come back out with papers or a different one.

The chair slowly grinded to a stop, and he got up and walked down a walkway suspended many yards above the ground. His fingers flew as he entered commands into the console before him. He grinned smugly as he heard the clanking of heavy metallic footsteps ring throughout the room, causing the walkway to shake. A huge metal door hissed as it began to open slowly, with smoke pouring out and making it difficult to see. All he could see were two glowing yellow eyes staring at him blankly from the haze.

He smirked and pressed a few more buttons, and the door opening to the outside shuddered as it let in the cool night air. He pointed towards it and yelled, "Onward, EM-001S! Destroy the garden and bring the two Chao to me!"

The creature behind the smoke made some kind of atrocious harsh shriek into the air as it moved towards the door. The smoke followed it, shrouding the creature from any watching eyes. As it exited into the cool night air, though, the fog dispersed, and the barbed end of a stinger poised in the air above the body was all that was seen before the door shut behind it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creepy! EM-001S? What is it? What will happen to Spirit and Heart? Will they survive? Find out, next on 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!


	17. Wet Fun!

Chapter 17

Wet Fun!

As they said good-bye to Angel and the others, Zero gulped uneasily and muttered, "Now it's the Aqua Garden…" He wasn't sure he would have the same courage he had when he dove in after that other Chao.

Cosmos glanced at his buddy and patted him on the back. "Don't worry, Zero! I'm sure it won't be too bad!"

Soul looked at them and smiled. "Cosmos has such a good friend…" He mumbled to himself. "I wish I was like him." He was older than both of them, and Aeon was around their ages as well. Pyro was, well, Pyro, and Heart and Spirit weren't on the same level of interests as he was. (1) And Jade…

He frowned. They fought all the time; bickering over this, arguing over that. They could never get along. It was utterly impossible to put them both next to each other without sparks flying. And, because Soul liked to prove his point and Jade always thought she was never wrong, they were only separated when someone came between them. It was tiresome and lengthy, but they just couldn't seem to _not_ fight.

He sighed and shook his head. "Stop worrying about yourself, Soul; you have Chao to take care of."

He cleared his throat to get the other's attention, and he said, "Well, are we going or what?"

Cosmos grinned. "Yeah, we're going, alright! Let's go!" He ran off, Zero close behind, and Aeon giggled before she skipped after them. Pyro just smirked and floated calmly after them, and soon afterwards Soul went as well. The two Chao up front raced for a while, before they stumbled upon the garden they were looking for. It had a seal and an otter statue standing on either side of the door, and it was all bubbly and blue. Zero took a deep breath and, with an encouraging smile from Cosmos, stepped into the door.

He found himself standing before a huge pool with a few platforms floating above the surface. As the others walked in, a splash alerted their attention to a Chao surfacing the water. An almost Hero Chao with peacock feathers, tail, wings, and feet tilted her head and said, "Who you guys?"

Soul said, "We're here for training. You are Giggle, I presume?"

The Chao giggled and smiled. "Yep! I'll get me sis!" She then dived into the water, and Zero drew back a little away from the splash. A few moments later, Giggle resurface with another Chao that was completely penguin, from her eyebrows to her feet. Cosmos tried hard not to laugh at the eyebrows.

Giggle smiled and said, "This is Tears, me sis!"

The penguin Chao looked at them sadly and sighed. "Hey."

Cosmos thought to himself, _I can see why she's called Tears; she looks really sad._ He leaned over and stuck his hand over the edge. "I'm Cosmos, and there's my buddy Zero!" He jerked his head towards the Chao staring at the water fearfully. Tears just nodded while Giggle first shook Cosmos' hand, then smiled at Zero and said, "What's up?"

Zero didn't answer, but Cosmos saved him by asking, "So, what do we train in?"

Giggle laughed and said, "On the platforms, if that's what you're wondering! I'm gonna teach ya how to fight real good!" She poked Tears, who rolled her eyes and muttered, "I'll teach you how to dodge and block attacks, but you have to be good for it to actually be of use to you."

Cosmos nodded, but Zero piped up, "But the platforms are so small!"

Giggle beamed at him and said, "Don't worry, we've got a special one!" Tears, as if on cue, took out a remote and, with a tired sigh, pressed the red button on it. She then looked behind her as bubbles started to rise towards the surface. Everyone watched as a huge platform, about twenty-five square yards, came up from below the water. Tears and Giggle dived down and swam to the platform, while everyone jumped on a nearby platform and kept jumping until they reached it. Zero was especially careful where he put his feet.

As the gang got onto the platform, the two water sisters shook off the water and turned to them. Giggle…giggled…and said, "Well, let's get started!"

Cosmos grinned and put up his fists. "Yeah, let's go!" He glanced at Zero and teased, "Are ya gonna join in, or are you going to let me have all of the fun?"

Zero made a face, but soon afterwards he smiled. "Oh, alright, fine! I'll practice with…Tears." He turned to face the penguin Chao. She sighed and faced him. "I guess I have to fight…let's just get this over with."

Cosmos started the battle by charging towards Giggle, but she slipped to the side and tapped him in the back of the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall over. He quickly got up and growled as Giggle laughed at him. She giggled slightly as she said, "The best way to attack is to actually hit the target, Cozzie!"

"Cozzie?" Pyro raised an eyebrow (they have eyebrows? Oww! Don't hit me, Zero!), but Soul chuckled and said aloud so Cosmos could hear, "I should start calling him that from now on!"

"Shut up, Soul!" Cosmos' cheeks burned red, although it was hard to see, as his hands burst into life with flames. Giggle gasped at the tongues of fire, but after a moment she laughed and said, "It seems you've been taught a lot about controlling elements! Too bad we're on a small platform or we could really do some cool battling!"

Meanwhile, Zero was having trouble as he tried to land a punch or mini tornado on Tears. She dodged faster than he could make them, and she yelled, "Are you even trying? It's very boring just dodging these left and right…"

"Then stop dodging them!" Zero grumbled as he charged another batch of whirlwinds. He shot them all in a line, but Tears just rolled through them and splashed him with some water. Zero jumped up in surprise, but after a moment he growled and wiped the water out of his eyes. He swung his fan fiercely, and a mighty storm appeared before him. Tears got ready to dodge it when something unexpected happened. Instead of shooting it at her, clouds formed around the tornado, and thunder rumbled above them. Lightning struck the ground, and Tears jumped away from it quickly. She looked at Zero in astonishment and mumbled, "He's stronger than he looks…"

Zero slashed the air with his fan, and multiple times lightning shot out at her. Tears had trouble jumping out of the way of the streaking electricity, but she whirled around and ran straight towards Zero. He was caught off guard as she punched him in the jaw, and he fell backwards as the storm calmed down. As Zero held his mouth, Tears stood over him and sighed. She whispered so quietly he could barely hear her, "A warrior is only truly invincible when he can attack with all of his might and be prepared to defend himself from any anything."

Zero slowly nodded, looking down at his fan. How had he done that? He was so angry he didn't really think about the storm, but now that he was 'defeated' he was left shocked. _How did I summon that storm and…the lightning?_ He thought hard as he absentmindedly watched Cosmos fail in his attempt at touching Giggle at all. She jumped over his fiery punches and retaliated faster than he could block, and he was hit back with twice the force he had expected from her. She had a hard punch.

Cosmos finally ducked under her fist as soon as he shot out his, and saw his chance to get a bit of distance from her and have breathing space. He leapt backwards, and she stuck her tongue out and teased, "Am I going too hard on you, Cozzie?" He narrowed his eyes and suddenly shot out a fireball. She yelped and ducked, but it grazed the top of her peacock tail. She glanced behind her and her eyes grew wide.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOOOOOOOOOW!!!"

She ran around the platform, trying to put the fire out, and Cosmos snickered and said to himself, "Awesome! Payback!"

_At the Shadow Clan Garden…_

Frost was still at the garden, trying to figure out how to knock down fruit. Since it was daytime right now, the fog had moved towards the corner of the garden. There was a dark fruit tree that just wouldn't drop fruit, and she couldn't get it to shake. She pulled with all of her might, but her hands slipped and she fell backwards. She stood back up and tried pushing it, but it didn't budge. She panted, her eye twitching. "I'm _hungry!_"

Black watched secretly from another tree. He observed as she kicked the trunk and was only rewarded with an aching foot. She hopped around on one foot, biting her lip, until she glared at the tree with anger. She ran up to it and head-butted it and the tree shook just enough to let two fruit fall off. Unfortunately, Frost looked up to have both of them smack her in the face. She fell backwards, holding her face, hissing, "D – Dark fruit stems! Mother f – fires above! Sh – Shadowy forests! B – Bats and lizards!" She tried really hard not to curse as Black shook his head. (Get it? D, f, sh, and b?) "She'll never survive on her own."

He just watched as she sat up and snatched the fruit from the ground, took a bite out of it, and grumbled to herself. She finished it in two more bites and, after kicking another at the tree, stomped over to the water for a drink. Black jumped off of the branch he was on and walked over to the tree. He leaned against it and watched Frost lean over the edge to peer into the dark waters. She made a face, wondering if it was safe to drink, and then continued on with the thought of how to drink it in the first place. She looked at her hands and smiled, and she leaned over until her face was almost touching the water. She blew on it gently, and suddenly the water around it froze. She picked up a curved piece of ice, smiling proudly to herself.

Black was surprised, but he kept his expressionless mask on as she dipped it into the water and sniffed it. She gulped and stuck her tongue out to test it. She immediately turned her head and spit it out. "Nasty!" She threw the bowl into the water and watched it sink, her face twisted in disgust. She walked over to a tree, picked up a rock, and threw it at the fruit. After a couple of tries, she knocked one down, and she picked it up and bit into it. She squeezed it until the juices dripped into her mouth, and she stuck her tongue out at the lake and grumbled, "At least I'll get _some_thing to drink…"

Black shook his head again and turned to the tree. Frost saw him and, curious, watched as he stared up at the fruit. He raised his hand and mouthed something. Suddenly, something black shot out of his hand and pierced the last fruit. It fell to the ground, and he took it and glanced at her. She immediately looked away, but she looked back as he took a bite out of it. _What was that thing? What kind of power was that?_

The leader, pleased with his demonstration, then turned to the entrance and sat down beside the tree. Frost blinked as he stared at the door, unmoving, even when Jinx walked up to him and tilted his head. After a moment, the Raccoon Chao shivered and ran off, looking back at him fleetingly. Frost wondered what he was doing, but after a moment she realized he must be guarding the entrance. With a determined look, she walked over to him. He didn't look up at her, but he said, "What do you want, Chao?"

Frost was angered, but she corrected calmly, "My name's Frost."

He replied sharply, "I can see why."

She looked at him surprised. "You were watching me?"

Black glanced at her and answered sharply, "I take care to watch those I don't trust."

Frost bit her lip, mostly for show, and said, "Well, it's not my fault. I don't know where I've gotten my power. I've had it forever." She then looked at him with interest and asked, "But, I'm not the only one with strange powers."

Black looked back at the entrance, not responding, and Frost waited for a while, thinking of a strategy. She finally asked, "Why are you so quiet?"

He didn't look at her, but just replied simply, "Words are meaningless."

She tilted her head. "Are they?" He didn't answer yet again, and she continued, "You never look like you're enjoying anything."

Black suddenly retorted acidly, "What is there to enjoy?"

Frost was surprised at his sudden anger, and she showed it by being extremely quiet. Black didn't start talking anymore, not that she expected him to, and she was left in silence, wondering what to do. She looked at him staring at the door, and couldn't help but wonder, _what's on his mind?_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**1/ Soul's interests: He may have been mature enough, but he was also interested with taking things apart and figuring our how to put them back together and stuff. He was fascinated with the creepy animals, like skeleton dogs and bats, and loved to mess around with them; he used to be fully peacock, until he got too close to a bat. It got rid of his legs, and he's been that way ever since. Strangely, no matter how many bats or skeleton dogs he absorbs the characteristics of, he still has those peacock feathers on his forehead.**

**Well, that's all for now! Did ya like it? Hope ya did! What was that thing that Zero did battling Tears? Is his power more than just wind? What's happening back at Chaos Clan Garden? And will Frost find out of the Supernovas, or will she be caught red-handed by Black? You'll have to wait until next time on 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	18. The Legend of the Cosmos

Chapter 18

The Legend of the Cosmos

Later, after Frost had left Black to guarding the garden, she wandered the garden in hopes of finding something out. She kept far away from the mist, a bit cautious of it, until she realized there was nothing to be found elsewhere. If anyone was to hide something, it would be smart to put it where the mist always would cover it. So, with a determined disposition as well as curiosity, she entered the white fog.

Immediately, she was unable to see anything. Frost wondered how she was going to find anything, but she kept going. The ground underneath her feet was wet and soft, so she was surprised when her foot suddenly rammed into a rock. She tripped and gasped as she fell down into a hole. She got up from the squishy dirt and looked up, and was frightened to see a tombstone. It was bare, with no words on it, and she quickly got out of the empty grave and stared at it. With another thought, she looked around, and sure enough, there were other tombstones and graves.

"It's a Chao graveyard…" She muttered. Her heart pounded, adrenaline running through her, but she shook her head and tried to calm down. Terrifying images clouded her mind, and she blamed it on that nasty lake water. Then, an idea struck her. _Maybe I can find something here!_ She examined all of the tombstones, looking carefully at the ground and the names, when she found a very strange one.

It had the words, "Here lies Geneva and Sunlight, Wonderful mother and father of Sun and…" The rest was smudged out, so hard to read it was as if something used dynamite to destroy it. Next to it, a surprisingly open and empty grave with a tombstone stating, "Sun, a dear brother and great friend." She pondered who this could be, when she heard something. She whirled around, but she couldn't see anything. She could hear someone whispering, and it frightened her as she looked around. She got frustrated as she broke out into a cold sweat, and she tried to stop her fear by mumbling, "I need to stop eating Dark fruit from creepy gardens like this…"

"Well, that's too bad."

Frost yelped, and the voice laughed. She looked around carefully and called out, "Who's there?"

"No one."

Frost blinked. "Well, that's not right!" She put her hands on her hips. "If it's really no one, there wouldn't be a reply!" As she listened to the laughter, she growled, "Is this Black? This isn't funny! If this is how you get your kicks, I'll –

"No, its not, but if you keep yelling like that, he'll find you." That shut Frost immediately, and the voice from nowhere continued, "You're lucky you're so deep in the fog; otherwise, he would come personally. Now, he'll just send Jinx as a scout, or maybe my son…"

"Who's your son?"

"He goes by the name Wisp."

"What's with everybody and fake names? First it's Snake, then it's Black, and now –

"Shh! Someone's coming!" She felt a shove, and she heard whoever it was whisper in her ear, "Keep running this way, there's a cave you can hide in."

Frost nodded and, without questioning, ran off quickly. Now she really could hear whispering; it was Jinx cursing at the fog because it was so dark and stopped him from seeing. She ran off, hoping that the ghost (or whatever in good Chaos he was) was right. And, she found out, he was. She ran straight into the cave and immediately stopped moving. Her heart pounding, though, and it seemed to her that the sound of it was going to give her away.

She stayed there for who knows how long, and her eyes adjusted to the amount of light in the meantime. When she finally decided Jinx was gone, she looked around the cave. She realized there were strange marking on the walls. Some were actually words. She walked past a part of the wall that was all smudged out and looked up at something on the wall. It looked like…a prophecy.

Suddenly, her communicator being to vibrate. She jumped, looked down, and saw Snake's face on it. She quickly put on the headphones and heard the last of, "…been trying to contact you forever!"

She looked back up at the wall and said, "Well, sorry, Snake, but I was just finding something incredible; sorry I couldn't stop to call you and ask, 'hey, sweetie, how you are doing?' "

"What?" Snake blinked in confusion, and she put the screen to point towards the wall. After a moment, he gasped. "Those are the words of the ancients! How did you get there?"

Frost shrugged. "I snuck into the Shadow Clan's garden, and –

"Fool!" He swore under his breath. "Who's the leader there?"

Frost looked at him. "A completely black Dark Chao named…Black." She wondered why he was so tense.

His face looked as if that was the worse thing she could have ever said. He looked at her and, after hesitating for a moment, he sighed. "Never mind…" He continued to mumble to himself, not knowing she was listening, "'The Chao from long ago wrote their legends upon the stone of the Cave of Chaos' Children…' "

"Wha?"

Snake snapped up his head. "Nothing! It's…an old story from…childhood…" He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I can't read it from here. Can you do it?"

Frost shrugged again, and looked at the stone wall. After a moment, she started…

"_**The Legend of the Cosmos**_

_A foursome of Chao_

_With fate on their heads_

_Powers they're bestowed_

_Of white, blue, and red_

_One will be champion_

_While another save his life_

_And for one there's compassion_

_While another's only strife_

_Others shall assist_

_Or hinder his cause_

_One's brother is missed_

_While he fixes his flaws_

_Another's a team_

_With the lost boy_

_And a blue Chao's scheme_

_Includes the mute voice_

_The legend of the cosmos_

_Shall soon be fulfilled_

_With what we love most_

_And innocent blood spilled…_"

After a long time of silence, Frost said, "Is that us in there? 'The lost boy…includes the mute voice…'" She looked at him and whispered, "Who are you?"

Snake flinched, not looking at her, and mumbled, "One's brother…fixes his flaws…lost…" He held his head, as if it all hurt his brain. Frost looked at him, thinking. _He never told us where he was from…lost boy? Maybe, he's…_ She gasped. "Brother!"

Snake's head snapped up at the word as she glared at him. "You never said anything about _why_ you help Eggman! You kept your lid shut!" She wanted to grab the communicator firmly and shake it and somehow have it reach his throat. "Tell me! _Who are you?_"

There was silence on the other end for a long time, while Frost glared suspiciously at Snake, and he just stared at her without an expression to be seen. If she had nostrils, they would have been flaring. After a while, she began to think he would wimp out and turn off the communicator. But instead, he sighed in utter defeat and looked at her with, was it regret? He seemed pretty unnerved, _almost_, I repeat, _almost_ making her feel sorry for him. But he had been putting it off for too long.

He sighed again, full of apology even in that one breath, and he began, with a face that looked utterly ashamed, "I…I'm sorry, but it was best…left in the darkness, away from the light. I didn't want…_him_…" He hung his head, looking as if he sincerely wanted to die. Frost blinked, more confused than she was a moment ago. She listened closely as he continued (with trouble), "I was taken from my garden…_Shadow _Clan…by Eggman. Back when I was normal. Back when…I had a family." He wiped his eyes discreetly, hoping she wouldn't notice (but she did). "He promised if I…worked for him…he would protect my family. But…if I didn't…"

Just the hesitation was enough. He didn't need to continue. But continue he did, for there was more. "He put me through tests, seeing if I was physically fit for whatever he needed. I had rigorous training, didn't sleep, and had very little food. But I adapted. Finally, he told me it was time for the final test. I stepped into a tube in one of his strange labs. He pressed a switch on his console, and suddenly it felt as if I was shoved into a fire." He flinched, as if remembering it fully. "He was forcing Chaos' energy into my body. He got it from a Chaos Emerald he had, only one of seven. But it was enough for his plan."

He stopped to concentrate on breathing, as if by remembering such cruel things he had to go through them another time. After a moment, Frost ventured to say, "And that's how you…" He nodded grimly, still ashamed. She stood silently, letting everything sink in. Then, she suddenly realized…

"What was your name?"

He muttered something audible, and after she said to repeat that, he flinched and said louder, "Sun…"

"Sun!" She slapped her forehead. "That tombstone! The empty grave! They think you're dead!"

"It would probably be better than being here, like this…" He sighed sadly.

"Wait, there was also one next to it; it had your name and another one scratched out. Something about a mother and…" She stopped and mentally slapped herself.

"Wha? Mother? And…" Snake looked down, mumbling, "I see…"

There was more awkward silence between them, until Frost cleared her throat and asked, "Who was…your brother…"

Snake looked up. After a moment, he whispered, "Geno…Geno…" He looked away pained. "He was named after my mother."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Wow, a chapter dedicated to Frost! I just couldn't help it! I wanted to clear some things up, like their real names, and…well, the prophecy! That's where Cosmos' name comes from! See if you can decipher anything from it!**

**I wanted to put more, but I want to keep these chapters pretty short – I'm trying to see which of these stories gets more reviews, short chapters to long chapters, serious to comedy, etc. So, tell me what ya think!**

**Ja ne!**


	19. EM 001S

Chapter 19

EM-001S

Jade hit her forehead as she walked towards the stairs that led to the Chaos Garden. "I forgot my flute, stupid…" She grumbled, scolding herself multiple times. She was _wasting_ _time_ right now, coming back! But…she couldn't leave it behind. It held so many memories. Maybe she would practice it, like Heart told her to do so many times.

She stopped at the foot of the stairs. For some reason, she didn't feel good. Her gut told her something was wrong. And, with a look down the stairs, it was obvious it could be true. Along the almost transparent steps there were deep scratches all over, as if something dragged itself down them or it had a hard time fitting. And that meant it was big.

She flew down the steps (literally) and into the entrance. She entered and was immediately in shock. Debris was everywhere as stumps stood where trees were once. The red lake was dirty with what looked like oil, and earth was dug up everywhere. Scorch marks left signs of a battle. Her eyes scanned the garden…

Her heart skipped a beat.

Heart sat on the ground, her head in her hands, crying. A puddle was around her. In front of her…

Was Spirit.

Jade flew over quickly, and Heart looked up with a wet face. Jade had tears in her eyes as well; Spirit lay on his back, still as a plank of wood except for the slight raise and fall of him breathing. But it was ragged. He was hanging on, barely. Jade at first stuttered, but finally asked, "What happened?"

Heart shook her head. "I…I don't know…" She said in between sobs. "This…monster…robot…crashed into the garden…we tried to fight it off, but…" She sniffed and looked at Spirit. "His stinger…"

Jade could now see the pool of blood around him. His hand was covered in it, too, as he held a spot on his stomach. His face was scrunched in pain.

"Then, it suddenly…ran off…leaving this…" She picked up something from the ground and handed it to Jade for her to see. She looked down at a black symbol with some man's face on it, with a huge mustache above an evil smile. After a moment, Jade clenched her teeth in anger. "Eggman…"

Spirit coughed suddenly, spitting up blood, and the girls both turned to him. He turned his head and looked at Jade. He whispered, "Here…" He opened his other hand beside him, and she picked up her flute. It was perfect, except for a spot of blood on it. It was in a better condition then he was.

"The robot almost stepped on it, and I…" He coughed again, but continued quietly, "I rolled under him and snatched it before it could crush it."

Jade couldn't see as tears clouded her vision. She wiped at her eyes, but Spirit raised his hand and wiped away a stray tear. "It's alright, Jade." He smiled bitterly. "I'm sure Heart will take care of you, like she always does." He smiled at his wife, who was now crying harder. He tried to sit up, but he grunted and fell back down.

Immediately, Heart put a hand on his head. "Stay still, h-honey." She gulped back a lump in her throat. "Hold on."

But Spirit shook his head. "I won't last much longer. It's my time to go now." He looked at her lovingly. "But, remember, I will always love you, no matter where I am." He grabbed her hand and held it weakly yet firm. Heart nodded, her tears still falling.

He looked at Jade and smiled proudly. "But, before I go…" He chuckled softly. "Can I hear my daughter play her flute…one last time?"

Jade smiled through her tears and picked up her flute. She hesitated as she put it to her mouth, and she said, "This is one I was making on my own, in secret. I didn't tell anyone because I wanted it to be a surprise." She grinned at her father. "This is for you…Dad."

And then, she started playing. Her eyes were closed as she played the quiet tune. It rose and fell like the wind, and it flowed together like water. After a moment, Heart took something from behind her back; a tambourine. It had a heart drawn in blue with the words 'Heart & Spirit 4Eva' on it. Spirit smiled as Heart joined into the song, adding to the serene song the calming shaking of trees in the wind. It was as if nature was reborn in their instruments.

Spirit closed his eyes and breathed out slowly, enjoying the last thing he would ever hear. He let it become a lullaby, slowly lulling him to sleep, an endless sleep. He breathed in again, the air seeming heavy yet sweet, like syrup in his lungs. He let it out and opened his eyes. He whispered, taking a little sweet air in, "Tell everyone I love them." Then, suddenly, he stopped. He slowly let out his last breath, and his eyes closed. He looked calm as death's grey cocoon took him. And, as the music sounded throughout the garden, the cocoon vanished, and Spirit left the worlds and joined the rest of the Chao spirits. Ironic; Spirit finally represented his name physically and mentally.

As the lullaby faded away, ringing in both of their ears, they looked down at where his body had been a moment ago. They were both quiet, tears still flowing down their cheeks. They could hardly believe he was gone.

Then, with a gasp, Heart turned to Jade. "We have to tell the others about the robot!"

Jade nodded, and her mother ordered, "You go find Cosmos and them; I'll go to the Cloud Council and warn them about it."

Jade turned to leave, but Heart grabbed her shoulder. She looked at her to see worry on her face. "Be careful out there."

She looked at her mother and smiled. "I will, Mom." She hugged her quickly and ran off, determined now to find Cosmos and tell them what had happened. Heart looked up at the sky and whispered, "Watch over her, Spirit; keep her out of trouble."

_Back with Cosmos…_

"Wow!"

Cosmos wiped his forehead. He had been battling Tears this time, with Zero against Giggle, in a team battle. And, as usual, they were getting their butts beat. But, as they soon found out, they were learning. They could dodge easier, and their attacks were more focused, and whenever they were a team they worked together.

Before they could continue, however, Soul called out to them, "Alright, Cosmos, I believe that's enough battling." He walked forward and looked at him. "I've sat on the sidelines for too long now; I'm itching to battle just watching you both!"

Cosmos grinned and crossed his arms. "Really? I've always thought of you as the quiet type!"

Soul laughed and pulled out his Phantom Blade. He looked up at it and said, "Besides, I wanna try this puppy out!" He looked at Giggle and Tears. "Do you girls have any targets or something I can test it out on? Just a short practice run?"

Giggle nodded, smiling. "A-yep! Hold on!" She dived into the water, and reappeared a couple of moments later with another button. She pressed it, and suddenly targets appeared all around them. Soul smirked and held up his Phantom Blade. "Finally, it's my turn to show off!"

Then, he disappeared. There were flashes of silver, and several of the targets fell. In a couple of minutes, all of the targets were destroyed. Soul suddenly reappeared back on the platform, his Blade over his shoulder and a huge grin on his face. "That was exhilarating!"

Cosmos pouted. "But I couldn't see any of it…"

Soul laughed. "You're too slow!" He spun the Blade around on his hand and smirked. "Well, I think that we've covered all that we can in here." He nodded towards Giggle and Tears. "We have used their hospitality for too long."

Giggle whined and asked, "Do you have to go? We were having fun!"

Soul sighed. "Well, we still have one more garden to go to."

Cosmos immediately gulped. Him and Zero both muttered, "Shadow Clan Garden…" After a moment, they both turned and begged simultaneously, "Can we stay a bit longer?"

Pyro smiled slyly at Cosmos and grabbed his arm, wrapping it around her. She teased, "You're not afraid, are you?"

He looked at her surprised, a bit of red in his face (although you can't see it, being a Dark Chao and all…) and said, "Uhh, well, no…"

Aeon giggled and pulled Zero's arm. "Let's go!" She ran off, giggling at the weird look on his face. He blinked, and then Pyro pulled Cosmos along. Soul looked at Zero and said, "We should go help him."

Zero nodded reluctantly; his mind was on whatever was awaiting them at Black's garden. "Yeah…"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**OMG, SPIRIT!!! (sob) I almost cried writing this! I was so sad. I kind of ended this chapter badly, but I wanted to hurry through to get to the part where they leave to go to the Shadow Clan Garden! (ominous music) WOOOOOOOOOO! What will happen there? Will Jade get to them in time? And what exactly **_**does**_** Eggman have in plan? You'll see, next time, on 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	20. Conflicts and Alliances

Chapter 20

Conflicts and Alliances

Snake sat up with a start. He looked around from the rocky outcrop him and Fingers had hid on to spy on the group. He had fallen asleep, exhausted because of lack of sleep from following his targets closely. And, obviously, it was the same with the little Green Chao as well. Snake gently pushed him and whispered, "Get up."

Fingers sat up and wiped his eyes, looking tired. Snake looked around the garden and silently cursed under his breath. "They're gone."

Fingers signed, 'What do you mean, they're gone?!' He looked down and realized what that meant. He sighed.

Snake, in the meantime, was trying to think of where the Chao would go. If they were visiting lots of gardens, their hopes of catching up to them were close to nil. He wanted to contact Frost, but he knew it would be too risky; she was in enemy territory, and hers didn't have a silence mode on it. He would have to figure this out himself.

He looked at his companion and said, "We're gonna have to get out of here, fast." He looked at him questioningly. "Are you ready?"

Fingers nodded. Snake grabbed his arm and, after taking a deep breath, jumped off of their hideout. He shot like a rocket and zoomed out of the entrance, just a black and green blur with a hint of red. No one was the wiser, although under the water's surface Tears felt something. She looked up, but the shimmering 'sky' above showed nothing, and she wondered whether it was just her imagination.

_Meanwhile, with Cosmos and the gang…_

They stood before the garden, all uneasy as the snake stared at them. The statue looked as real as the first time he had seen it, as sinister as ever if not more. Cosmos gulped under its gaze. "Well, uhh…this is it."

Soul nodded and asked, "So, should we go in?"

Cosmos chuckled nervously. "Well, it wouldn't be right to just barge in there…"

Zero added, "We should have called first."

Soul smiled at their attempts. To be honest, he felt like skipping this place as well. Black unnerved him, and the entrance wasn't exactly…'welcoming'. But, he took a deep breath, and offered, "I'll go in first. Deal?"

Cosmos looked at the door warily, but finally said, "Deal."

Soul nodded and took a few steps in. As soon as he entered, he didn't like the place. Or, rather, he disliked it even more. The fog made him on high alert, and he almost jumped when the others came through. Pyro looked around and mumbled, "Well, isn't this place a bucket of sunshine?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. (My friend thought of that. 'Dripping with sarcasm'…I just had to use it!)

Cosmos scoffed as he kept glancing around for someone watching them. "I bet this is the party garden…"

Zero breathed nervously, "Really…"

Soul cleared his throat and said as confidently as he could, "Let's find Black and get this over with; this place gives me the creeps."

"Tell me about it…" Both Zero and Cosmos muttered in unison, and Aeon would have laughed if she wasn't so frightened.

Suddenly, something popped up beside them. Aeon screamed and grabbed onto Zero, making Cosmos yelp and hide behind Soul, who had his Phantom Blade out. Pyro seemed to be the only one who wasn't extremely freaked out. As they took a closer look, they saw it was only Jinx, who was looking at them with curiosity, his tail twitching away every moment or so.

Soul held out his hand and said, "Hello, Jinx. We're here."

The Raccoon Chao looked at his hand uneasily, but he nodded and said, "Yes…we knew you would come sometime…" He looked over his shoulder and called out, "Wisp! Get Black! He has some visitors."

A voice from far off in the mist replied, "Alright!" And then all was quiet. No one spoke a word, either afraid to break the silence or make noise that could cover up anyone approaching. Cosmos looked at Jinx's tail, twitching every few seconds. Soon, it began to get annoying. It just sat there, a worthless pile of blue fur attached to his butt, and all it did all day was twitch, twitch, twitch…

Suddenly, Black was there. Everyone jumped a foot in the air when he arrived with a flurry of darkness. He seemed to rise up from the ground itself. (Maybe that's because he did, but that's beside the point!) He stood with his arms crossed, staring at Cosmos with a blank yet cold expression on his face. The Chao blinked and wondered why he was so grumpy looking all the time.

Soul cleared his throat to get Black's attention and said, "We're here for the, umm, training, Black."

Black narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "Of course you are. Why else would you be here?" He turned away and began to walk off, probably expecting them to follow. But, as soon as he was a couple of feet away, he completely disappeared.

Aeon 'yiped' quietly and got closer to Zero. The boy Chao all looked at each other and gulped. Soul pointed at Cosmos and said, "Well, go after him!"

Cosmos looked at Zero and said nervously, "Well, uhh, Zero has to come with me!"

"I'm not going in there! I need some real backup or something!"

"Alright!" Soul said to both of them. "We'll all go on the count of three. Okay?" The kids both nodded and turned to where Black had vanished. They both gulped.

"Three!"

"Wha?"

Soul shoved them both into the fog unexpectedly, and they stumbled and fell face-forward. They quickly stood up, but they couldn't see Soul. In fact, they couldn't see the others, either. He tricked them.

"That sneaky little…" Cosmos grumbled angrily, glaring into the fog. He turned to Zero and sighed. "Oh, well. We might as well look for Black."

Zero nodded regretfully, and they started to wander in the fog. They listened hard for Black, as well as looked for any sign of him. But there were no footprints, broken twigs, or even a little snicker. He wasn't anywhere they could see.

"I swear, he's trying to scare me or something!"

Zero turned to Cosmos and frowned. "Wha?"

His friend looked at him and scowled. "He's trying to get me so scared that I don't want to do the training or whatever! He thinks I'll be all scared and run off with my tail between my legs!" He stood up straight and held up his fist. "But I'm not running off! I'm not a scaredy-cat!" His fist burst into flame as if from the intensity in his eyes.

Then, his eyes grew wide as he heard something, and he quickly turned around to see the Shadow Clan Leader standing about a yard away. Black scowled at him and muttered, "You're just like your father; always trying to be a hero or something else foolish."

Cosmos glared at him and took a step forward. "Don't talk about my father like that! And I'm not trying to be a hero!" He crossed his arms and mumbled, "I'm only doing this because Spirit told me I had to…"

"Foolish…" Black shook his head. "You don't know anything. You're pathetic."

"'Pathetic'?" Cosmos pointed at him and shouted, "Who are you calling _pathetic_?"

Black scoffed and retorted, "_You_, of course." He crossed his arms and looked away at something, as if he could see something in the fog. "You're father would be doing the same thing, I suppose. Like father, like son, unfortunately." He sighed. "And a thick-headed son at that."

"What? You – " Cosmos tried to punch him, but he suddenly wasn't there. He looked around, but all he saw was a fist (heh…Chao fist) before he was flung back and hit the wall. He slid down the cold stone, leaving an indent in the wall where he slammed into it.

As he held his head, Black stood over him with his eyes narrowed, examining him. He spat, "You shouldn't let insults get to your thick head; anger clouds the mind and lets you make mistakes you can't afford to make." He turned away and added, "Try to battle me when you're actually worth the time." With that, he disappeared in a flare of shadows.

When he was gone, Cosmos growled and kicked thin air. "Aargh! I _hate_ him! Why do I have to be taught by _him?_ GAAAH!" He kicked a rock, but he only received a throbbing foot. He sat down and sighed angrily, but Zero sat down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; Spirit knows what he's doing by putting you here."

Cosmos looked at him, still a bit angry. He sighed again and said, "He better…"

Zero grinned and punched his shoulder. "Hey, tough guy! What's wrong?"

Cosmos looked at him, and a smirk grew on his face. He tackled Zero, and they wrestled around in the fog, friendly foes, just like they used to back home. (Boy, isn't THAT an oxymoron! 'Friendly foes'! _Hah!_)

Black, meanwhile, was watching from a tree branch above them. He watched as they lay on the ground laughing and playfully punching each other in the shoulder and stomach. He stood still, looking at them, but he wasn't really seeing them. Instead of laughing, he heard a kid say, "Oh, come on, Black! Is that _all_ you can do?" A quick retort, "No way! Take _this!_" Then, the laughter of the voices mingled with Cosmos and Zero's, and Black came back to reality and looked towards the entrance. Without a word, he disappeared.

**Ooh, creepy! It's weird how he keeps seeing him and his brother and remembering right as things are happening. And he's always so quiet… Oh, well! That's Black for ya! **

**So, what will Cosmos do? Will he battle Black, and will he win? (Probably not) Where's Frost at? And what about Jade? Will she get to Cosmos and the gang in time to warn them of Spirit's death and Eggman? You'll find out next time in the next awesome chapter (when I update it) of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	21. Serious Training, Both Body and Heart

Chapter 21

Serious Training, Both Body and Heart

Soul looked over at Cosmos and Zero. The fog had dissipated, and they were practicing together with their elemental powers. Cosmos shot a fireball at Zero, but he just bumped it back with his fan. Cosmos growled and kicked it back at him, but he kept knocking it back to him. Then, Cosmos shot three more fireballs with it, and Zero had to duck to avoid them all. Cosmos quickly raised an inferno around him, and when it went away he was gone.

Zero looked around, remembering back when he did this at home. He stood still and listened closely, and then he quickly ducked as Cosmos tried to punch his head with a flaming fist. His fan sliced the air and caused a mini tornado to knock the Dark Chao backwards. He quickly stood back up and shot his own fiery tornado at him, but Zero quickly countered with a swing of his fan.

Cosmos was getting angry that he couldn't find a way past Zero's defense. But he yelled to Zero, "Why aren't you attacking me? I hope you aren't going easy on me!"

Zero grinned at him and held his fan up to his face. "Oh, you want _attack?_" He laughed and swung his fan fiercely, and a huge gust of wind knocked Cosmos off of his feet. Then, Zero flew on it and rushed towards him. Cosmos ducked and weaved to avoid his fan cutting through the air. It was a flurry of action as they moved across the garden, guarding and countering each other.

Soul shook his head. "Man, talk about 'dedicated'; ever since we came here, Cosmos has been bent on training to beat Black." He sighed and muttered to himself, "Like _that_ will ever happen…"

He looked over at Aeon looking up at the fruit on one of the trees by the lake. She was frowning and trying to think of a way to get the fruit. She looked over at Zero and Cosmos fighting and sighed. She wouldn't be getting any help from them anytime soon. She turned back to the tree and looked at her options. First, she grabbed the trunk and tried to climb it. She ended up slipping down and hitting her butt hard.

As she rubbed her rear end, she thought of something else. She picked up her hands and shot a water ball at the fruit. It hit one, and it wiggled on its stem. But it didn't fall down. Aeon tried again, but to no avail. Finally, she shot a torrent of water at the fruit. It snapped off of its stem and flew up into the air. She gasped and yelled, "Watch out, Soul!"

Soul looked up and yelped before jumping back as the fruit smacked into where he was standing a moment ago. It had stuck into the ground, and when Soul tried to pull it out it took a lot of effort. He handed it to Aeon when she came over with her eyes down. The Orange Chao said, "Sorry, Soul…"

Soul smiled and patted her on the head. "It's okay, Aeon. It was an accident!"

Aeon smiled and nodded. "Okay!" She skipped off to sit under the tree and take a bite of the fruit. Soul chuckled and shook his head again. "So naïve and carefree…" He sat down and began to relax. He knew it was going to be a long visit here, so he might as well get used to it.

_With Frost…_

Frost looked from a tree at the group of Chao and cursed under her breath. "Not them! What are they doing here?" She wanted to call Snake and yell at him and ask what in the world he was doing, but she couldn't risk it in the open, even though she was in the very back of the garden. She sat on the branch and sighed. "At least they can't _possibly_ know…"

She looked at the fruit beside her, but she had made an oath to not eat or drink in this garden. Her stomach rumbled loudly, but she ignored it and continued to watch Cosmos and them. She was so absorbed in watching the two boys' fight that she didn't notice the extra weight on the branch. She only knew someone was there when she heard, "Frost?"

She whirled around, but all she saw was a shadow sitting with his back against the trunk. Without feet…

"Sn –" She looked around discreetly and hissed, "_What are you doing here?_"

"I'm spying. What else?" He waved a hand at her. "_I_ should be asking what you are still doing here. We should return to Eggman's base and tell him –"

"Eggman, Shmegman!" Frost glared at him. "I ain't going nowhere near that big buffoon! Besides, I'm still _investigating!_"

"But Frost –"

"I don't want to hear it!" She turned her back to him and crossed her arms. "You go back to your job so _I_ can go back to _mine!_"

Snake stared at her for a while, watching her sweep her eyes across the garden. He was quiet for a while, making Frost a bit uneasy with him studying her. She could feel his eyes on the back of her head, and it was a _really_ weird feeling. He finally said something that made her freeze.

"You pity him, don't you?"

She didn't move, but after a moment she replied, "Pity who?" She heard him sigh in aggravation and say, "You know who I mean, Frost. You feel sorry for him."

Frost turned to glare at him and spat, "I pity _no one_ but myself! That's why I took this job! I'm only in this for what _I_ get!"

Snake stared at her for a moment, examining the anger in her eyes. He said slowly, "No matter what you say, Frost, I know you have a heart. It may be frozen under your icy shell, but its still there."

Frost was quiet, staring at him with a bit of rage still clinging on. He stared back at her, daring her to say something. In the end, though, she just turned away and continued to look at the garden. (I _love_ that Linkin Park song!) She heard him whisper, "You're trying to hide it. I can tell."

She didn't reply, and he sighed and asked, "But why? Do you want others to think badly of you?" As she didn't answer, he ventured to say, "Or maybe you're afraid of what you've never had…

"Love."

Frost quickly turned and argued, "I'm not –" She stopped as she couldn't see Snake anywhere. He had disappeared like he usually does. She scoffed and looked back at the garden, her mind running at the speed of sound. What he had said…was she really afraid? She didn't know. She didn't understand her own motives now, the ones she had stuck to all her life. Since the day she had met Snake. Since even _before_ that. Since she could remember. 'Help yourself, even if it comes from someone else's pocket.' What did that mean anymore?

She held her head and scrunched her face. So many memories, so many voices…

"_Who are you, Spiky?" Frost glared at the Chao who had stood before her on her way from the store. The black, footless Chao pointed at her hands and said, "I think you have something that you didn't buy." Frost put her hands behind her back and said, "So what?"_

…

"_Who's 'Dr. Robotnik'?" Frost asked, scrunching her face up. Snake looked at her and said, "He's a man who creates robots to try to take over the world. Any more stupid questions?" Frost glared at him and mumbled, "What kind of old man spends his time messing with pieces of junk?" She glanced at the two robot guards they took out to get through the front gate._

…

"_So you can freeze things?" Snake asked with a frown. Frost glared at him and answered, "Yeah, so what?" She glowered at him as if daring him to make fun of her. Instead, he nodded and muttered, "That will be quite useful…" He looked as if he was thinking of something of importance that he had just remembered. He stared at her for a while, still thinking, before he shook his head and said, "Come on."_

…

_They heard a squeak, and they both turned to see a small Chao huddled up in a corner. It was a green Chao child who must have hidden when he heard them break in the house. He looked at them with fear and covered his head with his arms. He had rings on both hands. Frost just turned away from the kid and said, "Well, let's grab what we can and…" Snake, though, walked over to the Chao, and Frost stopped and looked back at him. "What are you doing?" Snake looked down at the kid and said, mostly to himself, "The people must have abandoned him when we came…"_

…

Frost groaned and muttered, "Why _now?_ Why remember _**now?!**_" She shook her head and tried to clear it, but the memories kept coming. They went back all the way when she was a little kid…

"_Get away from me!" The kid stepped away from the small blue Chao on the ground. A cat stood frozen in ice a couple of feet away, its claws out and an icy snarl on its face. The Chao looked up at the kid and gurgled, "John!" But the kid yelled, "Get away!" He threw something at her, and she ducked and sniffled. The kid kept throwing things at her, and she started to run out of the house with her hands over her head. She tripped a couple of times, but she stood right back up and kept running, the tears that streamed down her face freezing into little balls that followed her as she ran from her only home. She kept crying, "John, John, John!"_

"Stop it! _Stop it!_" His voice and her crying chanted in her head, as if taunting her. '_Get away from me!' 'John!' 'Get away!' _She stood up and shook her head trying to get it out of her mind, but then her foot slipped. She gasped as she fell out of the tree…

She had her eyes closed, but she could feel strong arms catch her swiftly. She felt dizzy, and her stomach was twisted in knots and threatening to make her lose what little food she had. But when she opened her eyes she could see Black clearly. His eyes stared at her; she looked frightened, as if she had seen something horrible, with a couple of tears that had broken free from the confines of her eyes, and her heart was pounding through her ribcage. Her breathing was fast and ragged.

She clenched her teeth and struggled in his grip, but he held on tightly. She finally pushed him away, and he stumbled back slightly as she fell down. Still panting, she held her head and curled into a ball on the ground. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, she shed tears that weren't fake. They froze as soon as they left her eyes, falling to the ground like snow before melting again. Each shuddered breath seemed like ice in her lungs, making her feel colder than she ever felt before.

Black stood over her, as still as stone, watching her break down. He heard her whispering, "John…John…"

He looked down at himself for a moment, staring at his hands wet with her tears, before he closed his eyes, and shadows engulfed him. He disappeared, leaving Frost alone on the ground in a pool of her own tears.

_Watching her…_

Snake looked away from the blue Chao. He knew he shouldn't have said that, but he also knew it would help her as well. Although, looking at her now was like stabbing knives into his heart, and it was pretty hard to believe that at the moment. But, he knew she could recover quickly, like she had so many times before. He didn't know what had made her the way she was, but he hoped she would now choose the right path. Hopefully, she would quit working for Eggman and go to have a happier life. She would forget about everything and find someone who would love her forever.

If only he and his brother could do the same.

…

**Sniff…SO SAD!!! I seriously had tears well up in my eyes…and I'm writing this! I couldn't help it, but I needed to clear up a few things about Frost's past. I'm really starting to like her character; I'm getting into writing about her more than the others, excluding Black. He's awesome to try to explain his complicated-ness, just like Frost! I like doing hard (headed) people.**

**Anyways, we didn't get into Cosmos and the others too much, but that's because Cosmos is just training his butt off! Will he ever stand a chance against Black? Will he finish his training in the Shadow Clan Garden, or will he stomp out in frustration? And will Jade ever get to them in time? Find out (maybe) in the next (dramatic) episode of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	22. Recognition

Chapter 22

Recognition

Black was standing against a tree, watching the entrance of the garden diligently, when he heard footsteps. He turned his head to see Frost walking over to a tree nearby. She looked like a ghost, just staring up at the fruit. She lifted a hand, and a sudden burst of ice snapped the fruit's stem instantly. It dropped to the ground, and she immediately snatched it and took a hungry bite out of it.

The Shadow Clan Leader watched her, examining the tired look on her face, when he heard a familiar voice say, "She's sad."

He didn't turn his head, but instead said, "So, you _are_ still here, Ghost. I would have thought you would go with _them_." His thoughts went for a moment to his parents, but he quickly turned his attention back to watching Frost.

The voice said scornfully, "Don't be disrespectful to your elders, Geno. And don't change the subject on me."

Black replied coldly, "Then don't use that name for me. There is no Geno here."

He heard a weary sigh from the ghost before he answered, "Alright, 'Black', don't change the subject. Especially concerning _her_." Black felt the wind blow from behind him, and he saw a dead leaf flutter around Frost for a moment before it fell to the ground. He scoffed and said bitterly, "Why not? I already know that she dislikes it here; everyone does. That's why there are very few visitors here, and I'll keep it that way."

"That's not it, G…Black." The voice whispered calmly, barely catching himself. He talked as if he knew it all. (Which he does, almost…) "She's tortured from her past…like you."

"I'm not tortured." Black snapped at him. "I've moved on. It doesn't matter anymore."

"But it _does_ matter, Black. That's what you can't seem to understand." He felt a little pressure on his shoulder, as if someone was putting a comforting hand there. "You may have moved on in your mind, but you haven't moved on in your heart."

Black didn't answer him, but instead just shrugged the 'hand' off and continue to stare at Frost. The 'ghost' sighed and whispered, "You can be just like your father sometimes; quiet, stern, and a real big stick in the mud." The wind blew a little in his face. "But…you have _her_ eyes…and her heart."

Black stared off into the distance and said grimly, "I have no heart."

He heard the voice sigh again and mutter, "Yep, just like your father…he was a pain when he was younger, too." The voice chuckled. "Well, I guess I can't change your mind on some things. But," The pressure on his shoulder returned. "You know you can't escape it forever."

Black didn't answer again, and the voice sighed and the pressure left. "Good-bye, Geno."

"I said don't –"

"Hey, Black!"

Black turned his head in annoyance to see Soul floating up to him. The Shadow Clan Leader cursed under his breath, knowing 'Ghost' had already disappeared. He looked back towards the entrance and waited for Soul to get closer. As the Chao floated up to him, he took a glance towards Frost. He asked the leader, "Who's that Chao? I haven't seen her around before."

Black glared at him and said sharply, "My guests are none of your concern."

Soul looked at him, standing tensely and glancing at Frost. He tilted his head in confusion. "What…what's her name?"

Black turned back to the entrance of the garden and grunted, "Frost." He made sure not to glance at the blue Chao sitting alone under the tree.

Soul watched his face, but he couldn't read him like he could Cosmos and the others. He was a closed book with a lock that's lost its key. He sighed and looked at Frost with a half eaten fruit sitting beside her as she stared at the sky, thinking about something. He said, "She looks as if she's afraid or something." He looked at Black carefully. "Did…did something happen to her?"

Black snarled, "I said that's none of your business, Soul!" He swiveled his head and glared fiercely at him. "Stay out of it!"

Soul took a step back (without feet, you know what I mean!) and held his hands up. The leader looked as if he would leap over and try to strangle him. After a moment, the Neutral Chao looked down and mumbled, "Sorry…"

Black just glared at him for a moment before turning back to watching the garden entrance. He was still fuming as Soul took a glance at Frost before walking (floating) off. The Neutral Chao approached Cosmos waiting for him, but when the Dark Chao looked at him questioningly he could only shrug. They both looked at Frost sitting farther away, just staring up, with her back against the tree. Cosmos said simply, "She seems so…sad."

Soul glanced at Black standing there, glancing at Frost, and he nodded. "She does, Cosmos. She does."

_At dusk in the Shadow Clan Garden…_

Black sat against the tree with his back against the trunk and his eyes closed. He was tired from the constant nights of no sleep. But he couldn't go to sleep, not even for a little while…

He was snapped out of his sleepy daze when he heard something beside him. His head instantly flew up, and he saw Frost sitting next to him. She was looking at the ground, as if in a trance. She hadn't changed since the incident in the tree. She seemed to be turning into a Hero Chao, she was so pale. (Even though colored Chao can't change their colors, but…yeah…)

Black didn't say anything at first. His mind was still on what had happened before. He stared at her, trying to see what she was thinking. But she was expressionless as she just stared at the ground, unmoving. Like him on guard duty. Like him, period.

After a moment, he asked her detachedly, "When are you going?"

Frost didn't look as if she heard him at first, but after a moment she shrugged. She looked towards the entrance, as if expecting someone to walk in. She was quiet, the first time since she had come into the garden. She was usually trying to ask him something or talk to the others in the garden. Now, though, she was as quiet and still as stone. It reminded him of himself.

That's what was frightening to him.

Black ventured to say, "Won't your 'John' miss you?" Frost, again, just shrugged. Black was frustrated with her inability to speak, but he didn't yell at her. Instead, he just stared at the entrance again, but he kept an ear (even though Chao don't have them…) for listening for her to do something. _Anything_. He'd rather have the annoying, talkative Frost than this one any day. Well, maybe not…

"Where's your family?"

The question was so absurd and unexpected he looked at her with confusion. (Black! Confused? It's a sign of the apocalypse! AAAAAAH!!!) He even said, "Wha?" Frost looked at him and repeated, "Do you have a family?" She looked at him solemnly as he stared at her pale expression. She looked like one of those dolls with those glassy eyes that gave you shivers when you stared at them. He only shook his head, though, and turned back to the entrance. Frost nodded slowly and muttered, "Then we are in the same boat."

Black looked back at her, puzzled. He thought she had John. He said, "Then who is John?"

Frost was looking at him, but he wasn't really seeing him. It was as if she was staring right through him, looking at something other than him. She said quietly, "John was the only family I ever had…but he isn't here now…" She looked down at her hands, and Black actually thought he heard a sniffle. The leader didn't know what to really do, so he said, "Well, maybe you should go home then." He turned away and went back to staring at the entrance.

Black didn't know how helpful that really was to Frost, though. She looked up at him, thinking, _home? Where is my home?_ She thought of John, but she immediately knocked that out of her mind. She couldn't possibly think of anyone, no one was really –

_Wait…_ It clicked. She knew who – where – her home was. Who accepted her, who had stuck with her and liked her for who she was without criticizing her? And who was the little kid who would stand beside her even when she snapped at him? Who cares if they worked for an evil mad guy? They were her partners, her friends, her…family.

She looked at Black, sitting confidently with his eyes on the garden entrance. He was so determined to protect his garden… Why did he hide it, though? _Is he afraid it makes him weak? _A smile slowly spread across her face. She whispered, "Thank you."

Black turned to look at her, but she had already stood up and walked away. She seemed to be heading towards the entrance at first, but then she took a sharp turn and stood before a tree. As she summoned an ice disc and cut the fruit down, Black stared at her, thinking. She picked up the fruit, looked at him, and smiled. The Shadow Clan Leader didn't return it, but instead just nodded and looked back at the entrance. Frost couldn't stop smiling as she took a bite out of the raspberry, and for some reason it tasted a whole lot sweeter. In the end, she was thinking one thing:

_He isn't so bad after all._

_Meanwhile, with Jade…_

"Aaargh!" Jade literally flew out of the Aqua Clan Garden. She had followed the trail that the group had left, going from garden to garden. She was frustrated and hoped that they hadn't moved again. She needed to tell them about Spirit. She just _had_ to find them!

As she flew towards her next destination, she remembered Spirit's last words. _Tell everyone I love them…_

She had to tell them. She _had_ to!

Even if it killed her.

**Ooh, isn't this fun? Frost is finally happy! We FINALLY hear about Jade, and she's almost there! But how will they react when they find out? And what about Eggman? Where is his robot now? Will Cosmos challenge Black? And will Frost really go down the right path? You **_**might**_** find out in the next seat-gripping adventure of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	23. Discoveries of Many Kinds

Chapter 23

Discoveries of Many Kinds

Soul looked up from cleaning his Phantom Blade to see Cosmos standing before him. The kid leader had a determined look on his face, with his arms crossed and Zero standing behind him. The older Neutral Chao blinked and said, "Cosmos…you're blocking what little sunlight I get to clean my blade with."

"I want to battle you, Soul!" Cosmos said firmly. "I want to be able to beat Black, but I know I'm not experienced enough. I want to learn how to dodge quickly first, because I know battling Zero a million times isn't enough."

Soul grinned and stood up, holding the (now sparkling clean) Phantom Blade. He said, "Alright, that sounds good!" He went to put the scythe down, but Cosmos stopped him and said, "No, I want you to use that." Soul looked at him puzzled. Cosmos explained, "If I can dodge that, I'm pretty sure I can dodge Black's attacks."

Soul looked at him uneasily and asked, "Are you sure?" The Dark Chao nodded. "Positive!" Soul looked at the blade with hesitation, but Cosmos tugged his arm and whined, "Come on, Soul! _Please?_"

Soul sighed and gave in with a nod. Cosmos cheered and ran a couple of yards away. He turned back to him and held up his fists. (YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!) He yelled, "Alright, bring it on!"

The dodging test began. Soul disappeared, and Cosmos couldn't find him anywhere. He heard a whoosh of air, though, and he quickly ducked as the Phantom Blade sliced right over his head. Cosmos leapt to the right to avoid another swing, and then he brought up a fire wall around him as Soul tried to slash at his feet. The Neutral Chao watched the fire disappear, but Cosmos wasn't there. He looked around, before he saw a shadow and looked up. Cosmos had jumped, and he did a flip in the air over him and landed…on his head.

Pyro and Aeon giggled over on the sidelines, and Cosmos quickly jumped up and rubbed his head, chuckling nervously. He had to jump up over Soul's Blade, though, as the older Chao came on him quickly and tried to whack him with the flat of the weapon. Soul kept hacking away at the air, and Cosmos kept dodging promptly.

After a while, Cosmos yelled to his bigger brother, "Come on! Is that the _best_ you can do?"

Soul smiled at him and asked, "Do you _really _want to find out?" Then he disappeared again. Cosmos stood still and tried to listen for him, wondering what he was up to…

_Wham!_

He never saw it coming; the Blade suddenly came out of nowhere and slammed the blunt end into his back. He fell forward and ate dirt, while the Blade floated in the air over him. He heard Soul say, "Maybe you aren't ready for Black yet…"

Cosmos smirked and stood back up. He stood before the Phantom Blade and said, "I'm not down and out yet!"

"You were 'down' a second ago…" Soul added, but he reappeared and held the Blade in a fighting stance all the same. He waited a moment, staring at Cosmos, before he suddenly rushed towards him so fast he couldn't see him. The Dark Chao immediately ducked and rolled to his right, and he saw the Blade slash where he was just a moment ago. He jumped back and dodged it as Soul kept slashing at air, trying to land a hit on him. They heard someone yelling, but they were so intent on dodging/hitting that they didn't notice.

Unexpectedly, the Neutral Chao switched from a right slash to a left, causing Cosmos to lean into it. ('Driving into the skid sounded like if someone throws a left hook, you should lean _into_ it'… I _love_ Bill Cosby!) Not expecting this, Cosmos was caught by surprise. He looked down as the Blade…

Went right through him.

The Phantom Blade shimmered as it went through his body, not hurting him, but leaving him with a tingling feeling. Soul stopped and stared at it, wide-eyed in shock. It glowed slightly, a ghostly feeling when staring at it like the two surprised Chao were. Cosmos felt a little dizzy and lightheaded, as if something had drained him of energy, and he wobbled slightly and held his head. He groaned, "Ahh, headache…"

Soul looked up to see Wisp staring at him from afar. The ghostly Chao glanced at the Blade, then Cosmos, and then turned and floated off, leaving Soul with goosebumps. He glanced over to see Black watching him, too. He shivered, feeling he was missing something very important that those two knew.

He turned to Cosmos, but he was shocked to see another familiar face…a certain Chao with dragon arms, parrot feet, wings, and a feathery tail…

Jade ran towards him, yelling in distress, "Soul!" She bounded up to him and hugged him, surprising the poor Neutral Chao. He stood still, unsure of what to do, as she clung to him as if her life depended on it. He looked at Cosmos, who shrugged and raised an eyebrow (what eyebrow? Whatever) at her strange behavior.

Jade looked up at him and sobbed, "Soul! Something…" She gulped. "Something terrible has happened!"

Immediately, Cosmos and Soul tensed. It seemed as if Black heard as well, because he stood up and started to walk towards them. Frost was a little ways off, but she listened closely, her heart pounding. Aeon, Zero, and Pyro looked at each other confusingly before getting closer to listen.

Soul looked down at the crying Chao hugging him and said calmly, "What is it, Jade? What happened?"

Jade gulped and tried to speak normally, but her voice cracked. "Something's…a robot came to the garden and…" She closed her eyes tightly and couldn't say anymore.

Cosmos immediately asked, "Are Heart and Spirit okay?"

Jade sniffled and shook her head. "Heart's alright, but…" She gulped again, a lump forming in her throat. "He's…he's…" She looked down, unable to look them in the eye. "He told me to say to you guys he…loves you all."

An icy hand gripped the group. Aeon gasped and started to cry, and Zero and Pyro tried to calm her down. Cosmos stood speechless, hoping it wasn't true. Soul felt deeply saddened, knowing it was hurting the Dark Chao even more. But he was snapped out of his thoughts as Cosmos swore under his breath and said, "Eggman!"

The others looked at him to see fire burning in his eyes, as well as some tears. He gritted his teeth and spat, "Robots! It _has_ to be Eggman! That no-good, dirty, rotten, worthless –"

"They couldn't tell if it was Eggman," Jade argued, but she added reluctantly, "But the sign on it sure did look like him…"

Cosmos swore again and turned to the entrance. Before he could start walking towards it, though, Black was immediately in front of him. He said, "Where are you going?"

Cosmos glared at him and yelled, "I'm going to get that Egghead and crack him open _myself!_" He tried to move past him, but a shadowy wall rose up to stop him. He snarled, "Let me _go!_"

"Don't let anger cloud your mind, _idiot_." Black scoffed. "You couldn't take him on in a million years the way your going."

"I don't care!" Cosmos smashed his flaming fist into the shield, but it wouldn't break. He yelled in frustration, "_Move!_" He slammed into the shield again, and it suddenly shattered into tiny fragments. Black was shocked for a moment, but he quickly recovered and grabbed the young leader's arm. Cosmos looked back at him and tried to yank it away. "_Let me go! I'm going to kill him! I will avenge my father!_"

"Killing him won't make up for his death, you moron." Black had a firm grip on his arm; he wasn't going to get out of it so easily. "There is no justice to killing, no matter _who_ it is or who did it."

"_Shut up! Just shut up!_" He struggled and thrashed to get away, but Black was strong. He kept twisting and trying to escape, but it was in vain. He yelled and tried to punch Black, but shadows suddenly latched onto his arms and legs so he couldn't move. He kept fighting to break free, but it was useless. Soul watched with heartache as the kid Chao kept it up, tears falling to the ground. Finally, after a few minutes of effort, he gave up and hung his head, crying.

Jade was crying again, her eyes closed, and her arms still around Soul. The older Chao looked down at her, trying not to cry, but the tears just spilled down his face, out of his control. He hugged her back fiercely, trying not to think about it, but Spirit kept coming back to his mind, making him grip her tightly. He couldn't believe it. He didn't _want_ to. But it was real. And it was true.

The garden would never be the same again.

_Frost…_

As soon as she heard it, she was turned cold inside and out. She couldn't believe it. Eggman sent his robots _early_. He said he would tell them. He said he would warn them. But he didn't. He _lied_. To _her_. Her anger came back to her, but then she had another thought. _Does Snake know?_ She doubted it, but she knew she needed to tell him. Besides, whether he knew or not, she needed to talk to him. Now.

She ran off towards the fog, to the retreat of the empty cave, with only one thing on her mind: contact Snake. She didn't notice as she entered the fog the way Black stared at her disappear.

**Uh-oh…what's gonna happen? Well, I did write the next chapter before this one, which is weird, so I DO know this time!**

**BUT!**

**You'll have to wait for a while, 'cause I'm MEAN!!! WAHAHAHAHA!!! So, yeah! Will Frost get to tell Snake? Or did something happen to him? Or will Black catch her? And what will the gang do now that they know? Will Cosmos ever really get to 'avenge' Spirit's death?**

**It must SUCK to be you!**

**Find out next time on the next tear-jerking chapter (no, **_**seriously**_**! It's **_**sad!**_**) of one of my favorite stories to write, 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	24. An Icy Departure

Chapter 24

An Icy Departure

Frost spoke into the communicator, "Snake? Snake, are you there?"

Snake appeared on the screen. "Yeah…what's wrong? You seem flustered or something."

"It's Eggman; he's already set off his robots. Cosmos has heard about it, but I'm more worried about Black. He's – "

"Right here."

Frost spun around to see Black standing behind her. He looked extremely angry. She gasped in surprise, and Snake asked, "Frost? Frost, what's wrong?"

Black snatched the communicator and shook it in front of her face. "Who is this? Who do you work for?"

Snake kept yelling Frost's name until Black cut off the communication. He threw it away from her, and it skidded across the ground and farther away from her grasp. He glared fiercely at her. "What do you want? What are you _really_ here for?"

Frost tried to think of a way out of this, but she could see none. She countered, "I don't want anything; it's just – "

"Then who does?" Black took a threatening step forward. Frost felt more afraid then than any other time in her life. She took a couple of steps backwards, and Black hissed accusingly, "You're probably the cause for all of the suffering! You're responsible for Spirit's death!"

Frost tried to defend herself, but Black yelled, "_Who do you work for?_"

She stopped, holding her breath. She remembered what Snake said, of how Black hated Eggman with a passion. And she knew he figured out it was he who took away his brother. And what about when he finds out what he did to him?

She looked down, unable to say anything. Fear, sorrow, and regret had made a lump in her throat. Black shouted, "Well? _Answer me!_"

Frost gulped, knowing this wouldn't end well. She knew she had to tell him. So, with much regret in her voice, she said barely above a whisper, "Eggman."

Black was still for a while, but Frost could see his hands shaking. His eyes were burning with hate and anger. If he had had knuckles, they would be white with rage. He was going to explode, she knew it, he –

He suddenly lunged at her, yelling out with hatred and frustration. She escaped getting her neck in his choking grip, but he toppled her over and pinned her to the ground. She yelled in fear, "Stop!"

"That coward!" He spat, making Frost flinch and become silent. "That dim-witted killer destroyed my brother!"

Frost wriggled from under him, but he snarled at her and picked her up by her neck. She gasped and sputtered, trying hard to breath. He growled and slammed her against a tombstone. Her lungs burned, begging for air, and the pain in her back made tears well up in her eyes. Black leaned closer and hissed, "I will return the favor."

He raised one of his hands from her neck, but before he could strike her, she gasped in agony, "Geno!"

He froze. Almost immediately all of the anger left his face, and was replaced by confusion, and…if she wasn't hallucinating from lack of oxygen…fear. His grip on her neck loosened slightly, and his other hand hung in the air, as if it was turned to stone and would forever threaten her life. She repeated, "Geno! That's your name! After your mother!" Her tears now spilled down her cheeks. "She died, long ago!"

Black was still frozen, as if by calling out his real name he was turned into a pillar of salt, like the woman from the Bible. As if he had done wrong and was being punished.

She continued, almost sobbing, "But your brother is still alive! I've seen him!" She gasped for air, her crying making it hard to do so. "He's called Snake! And he works for Eggman!" Before he had a chance to get angry, she added, "He's doing it to protect you and the garden!"

Black just stared at her, and for once she saw emotion in those black eyes of his. She could see confusion swirling around in his mind, a fading anger that tried to burn without fuel, and the fear of being seen, known. She knew about him, his past.

"He's who I was talking to!" She continued. "Eggman lied to us! He sent the robots earlier than expected, and he wasn't supposed to kill Spirit! He wasn't supposed to not tell us about it! He promised he would keep in contact. He promised me a better life. He promised Snake his family's lives. He promised us so many things, and we fell for it. _I_ gave into my greed, instead of following my heart. Snake actually sacrificed himself for others unselfishly, unlike me." She gulped, now crying harder than she ever had in her whole life. "_None of this was supposed to happen!_"

She closed her eyes, waiting for Black to snap out of it and kill her. Tears still spilled down her cheeks. She hoped Snake would take care of Fingers for her, and would keep watching over his brother. She hoped they would end up better than her.

But the blow never came. She was instead suddenly dropped to the ground, and she opened her eyes and looked up to see a stunned Black. He just stood there with his arms limp by his side, as if all thoughts in his mind stopped from shock. He looked utterly lost, scaring Frost almost more than him being angry.

Frost quickly stood up and said to him, "I'm not with Eggman anymore," she muttered to him. "From now on, I work alone." And with that, she ran away from him, tears freezing as her emotions went out of control. A trail of little ice balls followed her as she ran past Cosmos and the others. The Chao in question asked, "Where are you going?" But he was left unanswered as she ignored him, racing past him to get away as fast as possible from Black…and herself.

She closed her eyes as she ran out of the garden. _This was not supposed to happen…_

Black still stood back in the cave, unable to speak a word. He just stared at where she left, the little balls of ice still sitting there, as if they would remain frozen forever. A small trace of the fight that happened there. His thoughts were a mess, all jumbled up and tossed around, like a bowl of salad.

He turned and walked over a couple of steps, and picked up the communicator. The screen was blank, where, just a moment ago, his brother was talking to Frost. His _brother_. He was alive. _Brother…_ He looked at the screen, as if he could just see his brother there. He wished he had known before, so he could talk to him and just…talk. Like they used to. Like brothers.

He remembered everything he did with his brother; play, prank, eat, sleep, fight…they did everything together. They were inseparable. No one could tear them apart. No one…

Except…

_Brother…_ He missed him. The hole in his heart, the one that had opened up when he was first taken away from him, ached. He wanted to see his face again, to be together, to be normal…

One lone, solitary tear found its way down his cheek. He lifted his hand and grabbed it (you know what I mean!) and stared at the water droplet. It seemed so foreign, to see a tear…there had not been a tear on his face since his mother and father died. Suddenly, he wished he was little, that he could take a time machine and just go back in time, back to when he was a kid and his family was there. So he could relive it all again, before _it_ happened.

Another tear fell down his cheek. He just stood there, crying silently in the depths of the cave.

He wished he was never born at all.

**Okay, that was SOOOOOOO SAD! I know it's short, but I wanted to keep this chapter's focus on the event. What will happen to Frost? What about Black? Will he ever see his family?**

**Well, this time, I **_**haven't**_** written the next chapter before this! So, I don't know either! But we'll **_**both**_** find out when I write the next chapter of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	25. A New Path

Chapter 25

A New Path

"Well?" Cosmos asked grimly. "What are we gonna do now?"

Everyone was sitting down, with Zero and Pyro still comforting a sniffling Aeon, Cosmos with his arms crossed, and Jade beside Soul. She kept looking at him, watching his expressions change as he thought. Everyone was quiet for a while, all thinking of what they should do. Finally, Soul cleared his throat and said, "I think you should continue with your training, and then we'll get to the Cloud Council and see what –"

"That's it?" Cosmos threw his hands up. "We sit around and throw punches at each other for a while, and then go over and knock on Hooves door and say, 'okay, what now'? That's _all?_"

Soul glared at him and said, "I wasn't _finished, Cosmos._" He cleared his throat and continued, "Anyways, we should talk to the Cloud Council to see what they know about Eggman's robots so we can find a way to stop them and –"

"Get revenge for Spirit?"

"_No_, Cosmos, and _please_ stop interrupting me." As tense as it was in the garden, their tempers rose quickly. Soul and Cosmos glared at each other for a while, before Jade looked between the two and said, "Well, Heart might also know something as well, since she was there when it…" She stopped, deciding against what she was going to say and saying instead, "…when it came."

Cosmos and Soul calmed down, and the soon-to-be Hero Chao gave a relieved sigh. She added, "She went to the Cloud Council to warn them, but I don't know what she'll do after that." She shrugged and glanced at Soul again. She gasped and looked down blushing as she realized he was staring at her. He tilted his head puzzled, since she never acted like this before. She was never so understanding, either, and…cooperative. Well, whatever made her like this, it was probably for the better. Hopefully it lasted long.

His thoughts were interrupted when Zero asked, "Where's Black?"

The entire group looked at each other, and a huge '?' mark was over their heads. They all turned to where Black _was_ sitting, but there was just empty space now. If it was a cartoon, a huge arrow would be flashing and pointing at the spot he used to be. But, of course, it wasn't. (Yet!)

"Hmmmm…" Soul frowned. He looked around the garden and muttered, "The others of the clan aren't in sight, either…"

"Yes, we are."

Soul leapt up in surprise and whirled around to see Wisp and Jinx standing (and floating) behind him. The Raccoon Chao was looking at the ground and shuffling his feet, still looking guilty like he usually does. Wisp, however, was just staring at the Neutral Chao unblinking. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Soul put his hand over his racing heart and breathed, "Don't do that! I almost had a heart attack!"

Jinx flinched and muttered a 'sorry', keeping his head hung low and not looking anyone in the eye. Wisp nodded, still staring at Soul. It started to make him uneasy, so he turned back to Cosmos and said, "Well…Black's disappearance at the mention of…the robot…is quite strange…" He looked questioning at him, so the older Chao explained, "I think we should look for him, and we might as well ask him about Eggman as well." He looked down and added sourly, "He'd probably know, guarding this garden day and night…he's probably had a brush or two with him." Cosmos nodded and turned to Zero, trying to ask without words if Aeon was alright. Zero shrugged, which was the best answer he could give. The Orange Chao had a pretty shaky lip, and her eyes looked permanently wet with tears.

Everyone got up and started to separate into groups, including Wisp and Jinx. Soul, Wisp, and Pyro went one way while Cosmos, Zero, Aeon, and Jinx went another. Soul's first destination was the lake. Cosmos was heading towards the back, dangerously close to the mist. He didn't like the look of it, though, so he decided to go there last.

Soul floated, keeping a close eye on Wisp. He was curious as to what the ghost Chao was thinking. He wondered what he knew about the Blade, seeing how he was staring at him when he used it. Perhaps he knew where it came from. He remembered when Spirit presented the Phantom Blade to him, almost as if it was yesterday…

"_You know, Soul," Spirit said the day after Cosmos and Zero came back from the Cloud Council. "I've watched you, and you seem more mature than everyone else. More…collected and grown-up."_

_Soul tilted his head and looked at him as if he was saying the weirdest thing in the world. "What…do you mean, exactly?"_

_Spirit smiled and pointed at him. "Like that. You choose your words carefully, and you are always trying to keep everyone in line and in order." He chuckled. "You act almost like Heart, except it's more of a 'big brother' thing than a 'doting mother' one."_

_Soul looked down embarrassed, mumbling, "Uhh, well, I…guess so."_

"_Here," Spirit held something out from behind his back. It was long and covered in a cloth. Soul took it surprised and looked down at it. He asked, "What is it?"_

_Spirit grinned and told him, "Just think of it as a present…from your father." His eyes glimmered for a moment, as if he was thinking of something proudly._

Soul frowned. Now that he thought about it, the way he had said that made him sound as if he was talking about someone other than him. At the time, Soul accepted it as a gift to show he was part of the family, but now… It seemed as if Spirit had given it to him for _someone_ _else_. Did that mean he really _wasn't_ an egg from the Kindergarten's Black Market? He had always thought he was and never really asked where he came from. Maybe his _real_ father had given the Phantom Blade to Spirit so that, one day, he would give it to Soul…

_But why couldn't he give it to me himself?_

He snapped out of his thinking when he heard Wisp whisper, "She's gone." It took a moment to register in his mind, and another couple to figure out he was talking to him. He turned to look at Wisp (his eyes wandered when he was thinking) who was frowning. After a moment, he said, "What?"

The ghost Chao looked at him and said, "That other Chao isn't with us."

Soul blinked and said incredulously, "Pyro?" He looked around, however, and found Wisp was right.

Pyro wasn't anywhere to be seen.

_Meanwhile, with Cosmos and them…_

"Why'd I have to go with _you?_" Jinx twitched his tail angrily and huffed. They had finally gone to search through the fog after they checked everywhere else. However reluctant they were, they were also curious of where Black had gone off to. Cosmos also knew the fact that him and Spirit used to be friends, however ludicrous that sounded. _So he has to at least feel __**some**__ remorse,_ he thought to himself, ignoring the Raccoon Chao's comment. _But where __**is**__ he?_

He was about to turn around and ask anyone if they saw anything when he heard, "_Aiyeeeeeeeeeeeeee!_" He whirled around and rushed over to see Aeon clinging onto the side of a hole cut into the ground with Zero trying to get her out. A rectangular hole with a stone beside it…

_A grave?!? _He ran over and helped Zero pull her out. She was all shaky and clinging onto Zero tightly. Cosmos glanced at Zero, then looked at the tombstone and read aloud, "Sun, a dear brother and great friend…"

Jinx gasped and hid behind Cosmos, chattering on about something no one could really understand. Cosmos looked at him, annoyed, but realized he saw something he didn't. He looked around, and was amazed.

There was Black.

**HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! CLIFFIE! It must REALLY suck to be you! I know, I'm a big meanie! Heheh, but it's **_**so**_ **much FUN!**

**Okay, serious now. Ahem… What will happen next? Where'd Pyro go? Will she find something? And what about Cosmos and them? What will they find out about Black? Find out (**_**maybe**_**) in the next awesome-ness coated chapter of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	26. The Betrayel

Chapter 26

The Betrayal

Pyro glanced around the place, wary and suspicious. Back in the Shadow Clan Garden, she had seen a little, miniature snake robot slithering out. She had followed it, and it ended up going out of the garden and onto another teleportation pad. Now, she was here. It was a huge base of sorts, with robots patrolling the boundaries carefully. She, however, was following the snake, and for some reason the robots ignored her.

She floated through the front gates with no conflict, and she looked around warily at the base. Why wasn't anything attacking her? _Weird…_

She entered the building to find an assembly of robots there, standing straight and tall. The little snake slithered in between the legs of some, leaving her stranded in the sea of robots. She wondered what was going on, but she only had a moment's warning before the ocean of machines parted to make a pathway. She looked down it and saw someone sitting at a control panel. A _big_ someone.

"Please, come sit down."

Pyro blinked, wondering who this person was. But, seeing as how there was really nothing else to do, she floated over and sat in the little chair beside him. Suddenly, it rose up a bit, making her jump, and it got up so she could comfortably look at the screens in front of the man. She looked at him to see a fat man with a red vest (blah, blah, blah, you know the rest) and a huge mustache.

_How old is he? Fifty?_

"Look here, Pyro."

She raised an eyebrow (work with me) and asked him cautiously, "How do you know my name?"

The man laughed and said, "Who _wouldn't_ know the powerful, and stunning, Rouge-like Chao who summons fire like a second-nature?"

Pyro smirked and said, "Well, when you put it like _that_…" She liked the old man. He had taste. She looked at the screens and was surprised to see video cameras placed in gardens in the Chao world. There was one in Chaos Clan, (she flinched at the damage dealt there) Aqua Clan, Sky Clan…

No Shadow Clan, however.

"Do you see these gardens?" He passed his hand over the screen, and more windows popped up into view. There were many gardens to see now. All of them had little Chao skipping around happily…

She looked at him and said, "Yeah…what about them?"

He looked at her and asked, "Do you know what's in them?"

"Stupid morons who skip around saying 'let's get some fruit', guys who keep hitting on me, small animals that run around in circles…"

"Opportunity," he corrected, "Chances for a better world…_power_."

Pyro immediately sat up straighter. "I'm listening."

"Inside these gardens on the screen," he explained, "There are some things you might find…familiar. Such as Supernovas." He reached into his pocket and took out a purple Supernova. Purple light danced on the walls, as well as Pyro's eyes. She was dazzled at the beauty of it, something so small, and yet so powerful…

He suddenly closed his hand, cutting off the dancing lights. Pyro's head snapped up as he continued, "But the Chao guard it jealously, with greed and lust on their minds. They don't care about others; only about themselves." He looked at her. "Now, that isn't fair, is it?"

Pyro shook her head slowly, not sure where this was going. The man cleared his throat and said, "So, we should take the Supernovas from those who have such greed, since they don't deserve them." He looked at her and grinned. "I only know of one Chao who doesn't have such voracity, like those with such _heartless and self-helping minds_."

Pyro smiled slyly and batted her eyelashes. "And who would that be?"

"Why, _you_, of course!" He raised his arms and laughed. "You're the only one _worthy_ to have the Supernovas! And," he grinned wickedly. "I know how to get them."

Pyro held out her hand. "Well then, I accept, Mr.…?"

"Doctor Ivo Robotnik."

"Yes; consider this a _beautiful _acquaintance, Doctor Robotnik."

Neither of them noticed a small green Chao peeking from around a corner. He held his rings on his wrists to keep them from jingling. He quickly snuck away, making sure to not make a sound.

_Meanwhile, with Snake…_

"Oh, where _is_ she?"

Snake floated quickly through the lobby, scanning the place with unease. He had left Fingers back at Eggman's base because he felt it would be easier if he searched alone. Besides, he didn't want him messing with her.

That is, _if_ he found her.

After the connection was cut, Snake was afraid something had happened to her. He had run out of the base, quickly telling Fingers to stay put. He had zoomed to the teleportation pad and was now looking for her. His nervousness was growing as he couldn't find her anywhere. He tried to calm himself down, saying she wouldn't get taken the best of so easily.

"Frost? Frost, are you there?"

Of course, right now, that was hard to believe.

He was just about to zoom past one of the garden entrances when he stopped. He slowly turned and looked…

Into the eyes of the snake statue.

He stared at the snake, wrapping itself around the entrance to the Shadow Clan Garden, and he immediately felt frozen, as if Frost had just cast her powers onto him. He couldn't take his eyes off of the door frame; it was where most of his happiest, and saddest, memories were…and he stood right in front of it, unable to look away from the doorway to his past.

That is, until he thought he heard something.

Crying.

He glanced around, his eyes looking carefully, and was rewarded with a blue form right behind the frame, so anyone who was just walking in or out wouldn't really notice her. She was wedged behind part of the snake's body around the frame, curled into a ball. She was shuddering, as if she was hurt really badly.

Snake ran over and knelt beside her (without legs…) and asked, "Frost? Are you alright?"

She turned towards him, her entire face and hands wet with tears, and sniffed. She said in a cracked voice, "Snake?" Snake looked her up and down, taking in every bit of her. She had a cut on her forehead, but other than that, and her sad expression, she looked okay. She was trembling because she was crying.

Then, she suddenly hugged him tightly, tears still streaming down her face. She held onto him as she continued to cry, and he looked down at her with regret. He mumbled, "I'm sorry…" He hugged her back, sitting there before the entrance to the garden, and he was sorry he ever brought her to Eggman. He should have lent her some rings and set her off away from the base. It was because of Eggman – no, that's not right. Eggman didn't _tell_ him to bring her. Snake figured that he would let her stay so she would have a home. But, not this. He couldn't have expected this.

"I'm sorry…"

**Awwwwwwwww, sadness! (sighs) I was just playing Everquest II; I'm kind of hooked on it! At least, whenever my laptop's wireless connection works. I've really only just started, being level 10 (or was it 11?). Man, I suck! I'm a Ranger, being one of those cat people (they used to be called Vashyrs or something like that, but they changed it to Kerra in Everquest II), and I think I rock anyways, no matter how low my level is! **

**(Ahem) Anyways, I ended this a bit too sadly…so I'll ask random questions about what is to come! HAHAHAHA!**

**Will Frost ever recover? Will Snake ever escape Eggman's clutches? Will Fingers be able to warn them? Will Cosmos learn about Pyro's betrayal? Will Black recover as well? And will I stop asking so many questions no one can answer yet??**

**I don't know! See ya in the next chappie!**

**Ja ne!**


	27. The Battle Plan

Chapter 27

The Battle Plan

Black looked up at Cosmos and snapped, "What are you doing here?"

The young leader was surprised for a moment, but then he glared at him and retorted, "I should be asking _you_ that! Spirit's dead, the whole Chao world is in danger, and _you're_ standing here watching daisies grow in a cemetery!"

Black suddenly vanished on the spot and appeared right in front of Cosmos. Towering over him darkly, he said coldly, "If you don't watch your tongue, you'll be in more trouble than you could ever imagine."

Although the others backed up a bit, Cosmos stood his ground and returned the hateful glare the Shadow Clan Leader gave him. It was as if there was a staring contest between the two, with electricity going between them.

Finally, Zero stepped up and got in between them. "We don't have time for this; like Cosmos said, we have a big problem on our hands."

The two Chao glared at each other a moment longer before they both turned away and crossed their arms. Zero looked uneasily between the two, thinking, _They sure hate each other…_

"Yeah, whatever," Cosmos muttered angrily. "We should find Soul and get the heck out of here."

Zero nodded, but Aeon asked, "What are we going to do?"

"We're gonna find out more about that Egg-dude!" Cosmos looked at her as if she was crazy to have forgotten. He muttered under his breath, "Where were _you_ a few minutes ago?"

Zero caught that, however quiet it was, and he glared at his friend crossly. He mumbled, "Sometimes, you can be _really_ annoying, _buddy…_"

Cosmos stared angrily right back at him and replied, "Same to _you_, _pal_."

With his attention turned on Zero, the two childhood friends didn't take any notice to Jinx talking to his leader. He whispered, "…And if we tell him, maybe we could get him to stay or –" With a glare from the Shadow Clan leader, however, he looked down and mumbled, "Or we could just keep quiet. I like that plan. Good plan, Black."

Aeon finally stepped in between the two fighting Chao. "Stop it! Stop it, _both_ of you!"

They both stopped arguing and looked at the sad Orange Chao. She had tears welling up in her eyes watching them fight. She cried, "You guys are best friends! You've known each other since you were little! And you're fighting like a bunch of stupid heads!" She sniffed, wiping away her tears. She stood up tall and said, "We should be looking for that meanie Dr. Eggman, and getting back at him for taking Spirit away from us! We have to stop him from hurting anyone else!" She sniffed again and yelled, "We just _have _to!"

Everyone stared at her, silent after her outburst. Black, however, wasn't just staring at her. _That look…_ he thought, looking at the sad yet determined Aeon. She was just like her mother back in the Dark and Hero War. She had been just as determined as her. She didn't want to give up; that would be admitting she couldn't do it. He remembered the day when both him and Spirit pushed her too far…

_It was the day right after Snake had disappeared. They had found the cave and read its prophecy there. They just learned they were supposed to stop the war and save the Chao from tearing each other apart. Spirit immediately stepped up to the task. "Let's go!" He tried to rally them, encouraging, "We have to go stop them!"_

_Black, however, stepped in front of him and argued, "We're only a handful of kids, Spirit! What can we do? Wave a little white flag and ask them nicely to stop fighting?"_

_Spirit persisted, "But we __**have **__to! The legend thingie says we do!"_

"_Well, what if what they say is wrong?" Black continued to try to stop him. "What if we get killed trying to stop them? It's like standing in between two raging bulls with a red sheet!"_

"_But what if it's right?" Spirit began to get angry that he wasn't following him. "What if we don't do anything, and everyone who goes into that war dies?" _

"_We have no way of knowing!" Black stood fiercely, not backing down. "If we get in between that, __**we'll**__ all die!"_

"_**Look, **__Black!" Spirit held up his fist, gritting his teeth angrily. "If __**you **__don't think we should go, then it'll be __**your **__fault that everyone __**dies!**__"_

"_And, if we __**do **__go," Black countered, "It'll be __**your **__fault that we die __**anyways!**__"_

_Spirit growled, and they were both about to fight when suddenly Heart jumped in between them, yelling, "__**Stop!**__" She had her flippers against both of them, pushing them away from each other. Black was about to tell her to move when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. He stopped, shocked to see her crying. He didn't like to see people cry. He had seen enough of it already._

"_Stop fighting, you guys!" She said weakly, tears falling to the ground like rain. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Stop fighting…"_

"_Heart…" Spirit murmured, all of his anger gone. The almost Hero Chao opened her eyes and looked at him. She whispered, "You guys…you need to stop fighting. You're both…best friends." She glanced over at Black. "You've been friends forever. And now…you're at each others' throats."_

_The two darkening Chao looked at each other for a moment, before they both looked away, ashamed to have been fighting. She was right; they shouldn't be fighting like this. "We __**have **__to find a way to end this war!" She said determinedly._

"_But how?" Black was still arguing, but he said it gentler as to not get her angry again. "We're just a bunch of kids."_

"_But we're __**not **__just a bunch of kids!" She looked around at the others proudly. "We're more than that!" She grabbed both Black and Spirit's hands and nodded in resolve. "We are stronger, if we stick together! We can do this!"_

"We can do this!" Aeon nodded towards her friends, a determined look on her face as she tried to act tough. She looked at Zero and smiled. "I know we can!"

Zero couldn't help but smile at her efforts. No matter what happened, with the sadness and anger, she still tried to keep them going. She was a bucket of sunshine.

Then, they heard chuckling, and they all turned to look at Soul grinning at them. He said, "Well, isn't this an emotional day?" He turned his gaze to Cosmos. "But Aeon's right. We must fight Eggman and stop him before he does anything drastic."

"And," Wisp added, "We might as well look for that Pyro of yours, too."

Cosmos blinked in confusion. "Pyro? Where is she?" He looked around wondering where she could have gone.

The ghost Chao sighed and explained, "As we were searching, she seemed to disappear without us noticing until it was too late. She isn't anywhere in the garden."

Zero mumbled, "Did something happen to her?"

Cosmos suddenly perked up. "I bet Eggman got her!" He seemed to get angry again as he clenched his fist (ummm…no comment) and growled, "Ooh, I'm going to get him!" He ran towards the garden exit, calling to the others, "Come on!"

"Where are you going?" Black ran swiftly beside him, glaring at him. "I hope it's not some foolish, heroic act."

"I'm going to go to the Cloud Council and get some dirt on that Eggman," he explained with confidence, "And _then _I'm gonna train until I'm strong enough that I won't have a problem kicking his fat robot-hugging butt!" He smirked at Black and said tauntingly, "Is _that _foolish, Black?"

The Shadow Clan leader stared at him for a moment more, thinking of something, before he smirked at him and said, "You really _are _like your father…_annoying_."

As Cosmos was about to object, he realized, _that's as much of a compliment I'm ever going to get._ He let it slide for once and sped on towards the exit, feeling determined as he unknowingly got closer to completing the prophecy, like his father did before him.

**Wahoo! I finally got to finishing this chapter! WOOT!!! Now I just need to finish this series and get to the next one! Yeah!**

**What will happen next? Will they ever find out that Pyro betrayed them? What will they think, and how will Cosmos deal with the realization? Will he ever be the same? Find out, next time on 'Dragon Ball Z'!**

**Oops, I mean – Find out next time on 'The Chao Chronicles: the Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	28. Getting Our Heads Out of the Clouds

Chapter 28

Getting Our Heads Out of the Clouds

"Are you sure, Heart?"

The Hero Chao nodded determinedly at the condor Chao. Talons gritted his teeth and said, "That crook isn't on the top of our priority list, but if what you say is true, we may have a real problem on our hands." He crossed his arms and grumbled, "And with Spirit gone…"

"Yes…" Heart looked down sadly. "It is something that needs immediate attention, but with our situation…" She looked up at him and asked, "Do you think we can stop him?"

"Of course we can!" Talons nodded determinedly. "There's nothing we can't do if we set our minds to it!"

Heart smiled at him and said gently, "Thank you, Talons. I needed some encouragement."

The condor Chao blinked at her for a moment, blushing, but he then turned around and cleared his throat, saying, "Of course! It's my, uhh, pleasure!"

Heart nodded, trying not to laugh at him. Then, their attention was pulled to the door as they heard voices, and they saw Cosmos and Zero enter the Cloud Council with the others. And was that…Black?

"Oh, you came!" Heart ran over and hugged her son tightly. "I thought that you wouldn't make it!"

"Why…wouldn't…we?" He grunted as he tried to get out of her grip, flushing with embarrassment as he glared at Black smirking at him. He mouthed 'shut up' to him and asked Heart, "Can you please let me go?"

"Oh!" The Hero Chao let go and rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Sorry!" She looked over at Black and asked him, "You came as well?"

The Dark Chao scoffed and said, "Why wouldn't I? This concerns my garden as well, if it includes Eggman." He crossed his arms and scoffed again. "Besides, no one kills without paying the consequences."

Heart smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Black. That means a lot to me."

He just grunted and looked away, as if he didn't want her to smile at him. She could read him like a book, though, just like she could back then. He was content to know that she was alright after Spirit's death. After all, she _was _his friend's wife.

Cosmos cleared his throat and said, "I'd like to talk to you, Mom. It's important."

Heart immediately looked at him and said, "Yes? What is it?"

"What did you see of the robot?" Aeon asked gently, as if not wanting to get her sad thinking about her husband's murderer. The widowed Leader looked up at the cloud ceiling, thinking hard. She started slowly, "Well…it was huge; it could barely fit through the opening of the garden…it looked like…like…" She groaned and hit her head, griping, "What in the world is that thing called?"

"A scorpion."

Heart looked over at Talons standing with a stern look on his face. She nodded. "Right. A scorpion." She looked back at the others and continued, "It had a long tail with a huge dagger-like barb on the end, and it whipped it like a snake striking. It was faster than even Spirit…" She looked down sadly, and Soul bit his lip. If she started to get sad, so would Cosmos, and then he would get angry again. He looked at the young leader and said, "Well, if _that's _what we're dealing with, we better find a weakness."

"But how?" Heart frowned as she remembered when Spirit was desperately trying to keep it away. "It's impervious to any attack. Even Spirit's most powerful attacks didn't even scratch it. I couldn't even make it blink. It was so powerful…"

"Hmm…" Soul crossed his arms and tried to think hard. "Tough armor…strong powers…hmmm…"

"The Phantom Blade."

They all looked at Black. He was staring at Soul intently, and he repeated, "The Phantom Blade. It could get past its armor."

Soul blinked, but then Cosmos nodded and grinned. "Yeah! If you could get into that thing, we could beat it for sure!"

Black scoffed, and the young leader glared at him and said, "What? You just said –"

"He'd have to train rigorously to control the Blade." The Shadow Clan Leader closed his eyes and leaned against the cloud wall with his arms crossed. "He'd have to be super powerful."

"He could do it!" Cosmos argued, looking at the legless Neutral Chao. "Right, Soul?"

Soul blinked at him, thinking. He glanced over at Jade who was staring at him, and she gave him a thumbs-up and nodded. He smiled at her and nodded back, and he grinned at Cosmos and said, "Of course I could! I just need a little practice, that's all!"

"Awesome!" Cosmos put a hand on his shoulder. "Then let's get started!"

_Meanwhile, with Snake…_

He had brought Frost to the teleportation pad back to Eggman's base, and he was going to go in when suddenly Fingers jumped out and bumped into him. They all fell over, and Snake looked up at the panting green Chao and asked, "What are you doing here, Fingers? I thought I told you to –"

'It's Eggman!' He signed, stopping him. Snake blinked and said, "What? What about him?"

'He's got this other Chao here, named Pyro!' He pointed back at the pad. 'It seems she's working for him as well!'

"Another Chao…" The legless Dark Chao frowned, wondering what the doctor was up to. Then, something came to him. "Wasn't there a Chao named Pyro with those other Chao?"

'…Yeah! There was!' Fingers agreed with his eyes wide in realization. He looked over at Frost and asked, 'Did _you_ see her with them, Frost?'

Frost was about to say something, but instead she just nodded her head. The mute Chao stared at her for a moment more in surprise, but then he saw the look on Snake's face and snapped out of it. He didn't want to get _him_ angry, oh no. That was worse than getting Frost angry.

'I wonder what she's doing here…' He frowned, and Snake nodded in agreement. "What would Eggman possibly do with one of his enemies as a henchman?"

'Woman, actually…'

"In this case, though, I think it would be 'Chao'. But never mind that!" He stopped Fingers from arguing any further. He looked at him and asked, "What is he telling her to do?"

'He said something about the Supernovas,' he answered, 'and he told her that she was the 'only one who deserved them' or something like that.'

"What, did he think we couldn't do it ourselves?" Snake frowned, not even realizing that that was something Frost would usually say. He couldn't see the mute Chao's hands over his mouth as he tried to stop from smiling, and instead turned around and said, "Let's go."

'Go where?' Fingers stepped in front of him and signed, pointing behind him, 'Eggman's base is _that _way!'

"We don't work for Eggman anymore," Snake told him, ignoring the questioning look in his eyes. "We're going to go tell that kid Chao leader the truth about his friend."

'But, what about –'

"There's no 'buts', Fingers." He looked at the child seriously, his mind made up. "He's not our boss anymore." He glanced at Frost and mumbled, "He's caused enough damage."

Fingers looked at the blue Chao and wondered, _why is she so quiet? And I've never seen Snake so protective of her all of a sudden._ He looked up at the determined Chao floating off into the lobby._ What's going on?_

**Okay! Another chapter done today! So, it seems Snake has decided to quit working with Eggman for good! Smart choice…but what will the doctor say about it? How **_**will **_**Cosmos react to the news they bring him? Will they find him in time in the first place? Will Black get to see his brother for the first time in a long time? How will **_**he **_**react?**

**Well, I have a general idea, but I can't be sure, SO you'll have to wait until I write and upload the next chapter of 'The Chao Chronicles: The Supernovas' to the net!**

**Ja ne!**


	29. Getting it Straight

Chapter 29

Getting it Straight

"Alright, let's split up and look for those Chao! Go!"

The three comrades went separate ways with a determination. A little while before, Snake had asked if Frost was alright while Fingers scouted the area. He had concern in his voice, looking at his friend being so quiet. She had just nodded in response, but he put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Frost…I know that you've been through a lot…"

Frost looked up at him, his eyes looking at her worriedly, and she smiled at him and nodded. It was a bittersweet smile, and it made Snake bite his lip and feel even worse. He continued, "But, no matter what happens, I want you to know that…I…"

Frost looked at him expectantly, wondering what he was trying to say. After a while of his mouth being open and no words coming out, he cleared his throat and said, "We'll always be there for you." He kept his gaze towards the ground, trying not to look for her reaction.

She frowned, confused by his behavior, but before either of them could talk further, Fingers had come back to inform them the coast was clear.

Now, as they went their separate ways, Snake couldn't help but feel a bit afraid for Frost. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself. After all, it was his fault in the first place.

He shook his head and growled, "I need to focus on the task at hand." As he poked his head into one of the gardens, he concluded, _when this is all over, I will protect her better. I'll make sure of it._

_Meanwhile, with Frost…_

She sighed as she walked through the lobby, looking for the group of Chao. She was glad she didn't take the side of the lobby with the Shadow Clan Garden. Fingers was going that way, not her. And she was glad. She didn't want to encounter Black again.

She was about to go into another garden when she thought she saw something coming. She hid behind the frame of the door as a Chao walked past holding a fan some sort. She held her breath as she hid in the shadow of the door, hoping that he wouldn't see her.

_Wait…_ As she looked closer, she realized that she knew that Chao. He was one of the Chao with that other Chao, whatever-his-name…Cosmos! That was one of his friends or something! Jackpot! …_But, where are the others?_ She frowned, wondering what he was doing away from all of his friends. And what in the world was he doing with that fan?

Then, he turned around and walked back the way he came, and she held her breath until he passed. Growing up as a thief had its upsides. She peeked out from behind the door frame and watched as he walked up to a door that seemed to be made of clouds, with two statues of Chao staring at him. Then, suddenly, one of the statues moved, and it asked, "Password?"

"Clouds in the sky," he answered grimly, as if he was remembering something awful. The statues nodded and let him pass, and he disappeared into the garden, or whatever it was. Then, the statues returned to their posts in front of the door, standing as still as…well…themselves.

Frost waited a moment more, but no one else exited the garden. She carefully walked up to the statues, staring at them curiously as she waited for one of them to do something. They were still, however, and so she carefully crept closer and poked one in the foot. "Hmm…" She frowned as it remained silent. "What _is _this thing, anyways?"

She shook her head and sighed, looking at the door reluctantly. She was sure the Chao were on the other side of the guarded entrance. She wondered if she could get past, but something in her held her back. She had a bad feeling about it, although she couldn't place her finger on why. (Maybe that's because she didn't have one, but…) The place did look familiar to her, and she remembered this was where they first spied on the Chao and his friends. "What a coincidence…" She muttered, flinching as she kept the fact that she had been working for Eggman then in mind.

"Indeed, it is."

She whirled in fright as she thought, _why does that sound eerily familiar? _"Who's –" She stopped, her eyes staring as they widened in shock and fear. _No…_

There he stood; the reason she had left his garden in the first place. His Dark tint had not changed in the least, although his black eyes may have grown a bit darker. He stared at her without emotion, although he could see how afraid and surprised she was by the way she looked at him. He did not say anymore, and neither did she, although they wouldn't have had the chance to anyway when her communicator started to beep. She slowly picked it up, putting her headphones on, as she asked quietly, "Yeah?"

Snake looked back at her curiously as she kept her gaze on something off-screen. "Have you found them yet?"

"Yeah…" She nodded, her eyes never leaving Black. "I found them."

_Later, inside the Cloud Council…_

Frost did not look at the other Chao as she walked inside, followed quickly by Snake and Fingers with the two surrounding her protectively. Snake kept his eyes on the blue Chao for the most part, although he did occasionally glance at Cosmos or Black whenever he felt one of their gazes on him or his companions. He turned towards Soul holding his Blade up readily and nodded. "You are here as well. Good."

The Neutral Chao looked at him in confusion, wondering what he meant by that, but he wasn't able to ask his question before Black suddenly voiced his. "What are you doing here?" His voice held no emotion, as did his face while he stared at the three newcomers. Frost shifted uncomfortably under his watchful eyes, noticing how he would occasionally glance back at her before returning his examination of his brother and the little Chao that accompanied them. It seemed he was thinking hard, trying to make sense of something as he waited for their response.

Since Frost seemed incapable of talking, Snake took it upon himself to explain things. He cleared his throat to make sure all attention was on him and not the blue Chao beside him before he began, "We have been looking for you guys for a while now." He looked down at the green Chao beside him for a moment, heaving a sigh before mumbling, "There's something we need to tell you…"

"What?" Cosmos' curious inquiry made him flinch, which drew more attention to the legless Chao as he kept his gaze away from the young leader. He didn't dare to look at him, not while he was explaining the situation to him at least. Not something this delicate. Fingers wanted to help him, but since they probably didn't understand sign language it would be pointless to try, and so he stayed silent as usual.

"It's about Eggman, and…" He gulped slightly, a movement unnoticed except for his brother, the mute, and the equally quiet blue Chao beside him. "Your friend."

"…Pyro?" The young Chao asked questioningly, his eyes growing wide when he nodded. "What is it? What happened to her? Is she –"

"She is fine," he interrupted, making Cosmos fall silent at the tone of his voice. He looked at his friend nervously, his hand down so he could grip the fan tightly. He then sighed and mumbled, "She is _better _than fine…"

"What…what do you mean? What's the –"

"If you would let him _talk_," Black hissed threateningly, "He would _answer _your foolish questions!" His eyes darkened dangerously, and his shadow seemed to grow fiercer as well, making even Frost and Snake flinch. His brother could see the way his anger burned in his eyes, and as he watched the shadows around him quiver he thought grimly, _of course; he should have as much hatred in his heart as I do. He would be the angry one, the one who, although calm on the surface, is really twisting inside with everything thrown at him. Just like his brother…_

Although he was still panicking inside, Cosmos just cast a glare at the older Chao and shut his mouth, returning his gaze to the legless newcomer before him expectantly. He wanted answers, and he wanted them _now_. Even if he couldn't voice his thoughts, he certainly _showed _them with the way he crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. Snake, seeing the impatience on the young leader, gave another sigh and started to explain what Fingers had witnessed.

When he was done, he found that he both wanted and disliked the idea to look up at the Chao, either to see or hide from his reaction. In the end, he settled on glancing over at Frost beside him to see how she was faring in the presence of the person she really did not want to see right now. She seemed to be doing rather well; she hadn't screamed yet, so she wasn't slowly going mad. She did seem a little tense, but that was to be expected, after everything she'd been through. Wondering what she was thinking, Snake's attention was forced onto the young leader before he could protest with just a single word:

"_What?_"

Snake flinched. _And here we go…_

"What are you talking about? Pyro would _never _do anything like that!"

"Obviously, she _did_," Black countered for his brother, glaring at Cosmos as if he was the stupidest, most annoying creature on the planet. "Why would they lie about something as trivial as this?"

"It's not trivial!" Cosmos glared back at him. "And that's not Pyro! I mean, seriously! She would _never _ditch us to hang out with Eggman, _especially_ after learning that he killed Spirit!" He turned to the group of three Chao standing close to the entrance they had just entered from. "You probably mistook another Chao for her or something."

Snake sighed. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince him. He turned to the little green Chao beside him and told him quietly, "Fingers, tell me what she looked like again."

After looking at the others surrounding them shyly, Fingers gulped and signed slowly, 'She was a Dark legless Chao with a purple orb and pink-ish-purple-ish tints on her hands. She had two horns going up on her head, too.' He demonstrated by putting his hands up on his head, and Snake nodded and relayed the information to Cosmos. He watched as the young leader stood there, silent, as many emotions battled in his eyes. In the end, it was all consumed in the blaze that took over all conscious thought, and he clenched his eyes shut and whispered, "No…"

Snake sighed again. "I really do hate to say this," he tried to sooth the Dark Chao, "but it is true. And, since she is working for Eggman, she is now a threat to us all."

"Wait."

Everyone, confused and surprised, turned to look at Black. His command was unexpected, but he continued on regardless of their astonishment, "You say that she is a hazard because she works for Eggman." He stared directly at Snake, meanings hidden behind his rock mask. "Didn't you work for him as well?"

The others all grew silent. Cosmos and Zero looked at each other in confusion, not seeing where this sudden question came from. Aeon and Jade all looked around at the others' faces to try to see what their thoughts were, and they found that Soul was watching Frost curiously. He finally remembered her as the one that was in the Shadow Clan Garden; hearing now that she worked for Eggman was a shocker. Had Black known this before when he snapped at him? Or had he found out later? His gaze slowly slid over to the Dark Leader who stood still and silent, and he pondered.

Snake tilted his head down and closed his eyes. After taking a deep breath, he said quietly, "That was true, once." Then, he opened his eyes and looked over at Frost intently. "But now, Eggman is as much as our enemy as he is yours." Concealed emotions that seemed to shimmer in his eyes showed how much he meant his words. "He has caused too much damage for me to just stand by and watch anymore."

**Okay, I've FINALLY gotten this finished! Took me a while, neh? Sorry! (bows) I am but a humble servant to and you are the ones who take pity on me and actually read my stories! Hope you aren't too angry with me! (sweatdrops)**

**So, how will Cosmos handle the news? After all, he DID have a super-uber-mega-duper crush on Pyro! Can he see the truth, or will his feelings pull the wool over his eyes? Will Black and Snake get some time to catch up on lost brotherhood? Will Frost get over the past and look forward to the future? Will Heart do the same? And will they **_**ever **_**be able to stop the metallic menace that Eggman has unleashed upon the Chao world?**

**I REALLY DON'T KNOW! STOP ASKING ME! (glares) I HAVEN'T WRITTEN IT YET!**

**Thank you, that is all.**

**Ja ne!**


	30. Getting Acquainted Once Again

Chapter 30

Getting Acquainted Once Again

It was only when the questions had finally ceased and that there was a tense and quiet atmosphere did Snake seek refuge in solitude, although he was denied that by his brother following him. He walked (well, floated) through the cloud lobby to the long hallway, knowing that Black wasn't too far behind, until they left the others far behind them. Only then did Snake stop, as did Black, and he turned to face him in silence as a dying light flickered faintly to light the neglected hallway. There was no sound except for the stifled talking drifting down the hall, and it would have unnerved Snake if he wasn't used to such moments of silence; when he was a part of Eggman's experiments, the doctor had presumed that all Chao were stupid and couldn't comprehend a thing, and so he did not let him out of a glass tube except to eat, and it was only when Snake tried to make a deal with him that he realized the importance and usefulness of Chao. Still, the robotic creatures he kept weren't good company anyways, and so he just remained quiet, until he met Frost…

"Snake." The words were unexpected and snapped him back to reality as he focused on his brother. His throat tightened, not wanting to stop staring at his brother face-to-face after so long of just watching him from afar. He had been caught up in the troubles of the world earlier, surrounded by everyone else, but now that he was alone and allowed to wallow in his own problems he couldn't help himself. He nearly cried, but after watching his brother from so long he knew that to be the wrong reaction. So, instead, he nodded in recognition and replied stiffly, "Black." It felt strange to call his brother that name after so long, to have that sound roll off of his tongue. Emotions that had been bottled up inside of him long ago threatened to burst, and he had to pack it all down again to last at least a few minutes without exploding with questions. He knew that his brother had his own, and he wanted to clear everything up with him before he ventured to ask about lost time.

He watched as, for once since he had seen him recently, his mask slipped off partially to show a sort of brokenhearted sorrow and loss in his eyes. His mouth deepened into a frown as he opened his mouth to ask in a dry whisper, "Why?" Although it was only one word, it held a world's worth of emotions and stories, and it nearly overwhelmed Snake as he saw how lost his brother looked. Since they were alone, they were allowed to be themselves for a moment, to let it out without the ridicule of others.

It was something that they had to do, heart-to-heart, brother-to-brother.

Snake smiled at Black, a bittersweet gesture that was just as deep with hidden and double meanings hiding in every twitch of the jaw. He showed both joy and pain, hope and regret, gratitude and fear, and it was enough to make Black's own mouth twitch slightly. And with that, Snake let a true boy-ish smile come upon his face, and he beamed with all of his childhood glory at his brother.

He had almost smiled at him. The first that he's seen since he was taken away from him.

Black nodded, but not in a detached way anymore; it showed acceptance and respect for him, showing that he knew everything he felt and they would discuss it another time. For now, they enjoyed each other's company, even when a tear slipped from the Dark Chao's eye and the legless one went to comfort him with a brotherly hug. They were there for each other now, and they would always be for the rest of their lives.

_Meanwhile, back in the main room of the Cloud Council…_

Frost sat beside Fingers, looking down at the ground and feeling uneasy. She had just seen Snake walk off, but what was even more unnerving was that Black went to follow him. She didn't like being left alone among strangers, but she especially didn't like to wonder what they were talking about. That is, if they were even talking. She looked up at the ceiling and compared both of the brothers' personalities; with both of them being mysterious and silent, they'd probably stare at each other until someone interrupted them. Feeling a little better, she smiled slightly to herself and looked about the room, a bit glad of what she saw.

In one corner of the room, the dragon and parrot Chao stood with the orange Chao, talking with a sort of girlish fervor which made Frost ponder about her own feminineness, or lack of it. Then, the ghost-like Chao (she thought it was Soul or Ghost or something like that) held his giant scythe and gave half-swings in practice, as if testing it out to its full abilities and seeing the extent of his. She pondered on the weapon he used, wondering where he had gotten it from, but then her gaze wondered to the rest of the room and she smiled at a scene on the other side.

The young Dark Chao with his Neutral friend were goofing around, grabbing each other into headlocks and giving noogies and such, wrestling as their mother watched them with occasional giggles and smiles. Beside her, the condor Chao Frost recognized as Talons who governed the 'law enforcement' of the Chao world looking down at his feet, seeming a bit flustered near the mother. The entire scene seemed so innocent at the moment, she just wished that it would last as long as possible before whatever ill thing may come. She could feel it in her gut, a foreboding feeling that made her want to look up and see if the clouds turned into a dark grey. It was bit unnerving to sit there and watch such normal activities, and yet at the same time it was calming and made her want to lay back, relax, and take a deep breath to calm down.

Then, the Chao beside her tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She looked down at Fingers just as he begin to sign, 'Are you okay, Frost? You've been awfully quiet for a while now…' He looked a bit uneasy, as if he didn't want her to yell at him or get really depressed. So, she surprised him when she smiled and patted him on the head with a, "Yeah, I'm fine. You shouldn't be talking, though, squirt!" She laughed lightly as he pouted and pushed her hand off of his head, although his eyes looked a bit pleased as if he had always wanted to hear her laugh. It made her ponder, and she really started to wonder about this child Chao that was her partner-in-crime – well, maybe just partner now. Maybe he was smarter than he seemed…

"Umm, excuse me?" Surprised yet again by another Chao, Frost looked up to see the orange Chao from earlier standing before her, hands behind her back and eyes on the ground nervously. She shifted her weight from foot-to-foot anxiously, and she kept glancing up to see the blue Chao's face. Frost blinked, and then said, "Yes…?"

The Orange Chao gulped, and then she asked, "Could I, umm, maybe, uhh, be your, umm…friend?"

Frost frowned slightly. "Ummm…err, okay…but," she asked as the Chao smiled brightly, "why do you want to hang out with me? I mean, I _did _work with Eggman and all…" She tilted her head. "Isn't she your arch enemy?"

"Well, yeah…" The Orange Chao bit her lip. "But, not everyone is evil and mean, and…you sort of…remind me of…Pyro…" Then, as if thinking she offended her, she quickly explained, "I mean, not because you betrayed us or anything, I mean, like, because you look so confidant and strong and –"

"Okay," Frost nodded, startling both the Chao in front of her and the one beside her, "I'll be your friend, but…" She chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "What was your name again?"

"Oh!" She held out her hand. "I'm Aeon!"

Frost took the offered hand and shook it, a smile brightening her face. "Nice to meet you. I'm Frost."

"Frost…okay!" Aeon smiled. "From now on, you're my buddy!"

Frost laughed. "Buddy…I like the sound of that!"

Fingers signed curiously, 'Can _I _call you that, Frost?'

"Nope."

'Aww…'

"Huh?" Aeon looked at Frost curiously. "What're you talking about?"

"Uhh…I guess I'll have to teach you guys sign language, too…"

'Ya got _that _right!'

"Oh, shut up, Fingers."

"Huh? Who?"

"Augh…okay, let me explain something here…" Frost started to explain the mute Chao's predicament, while Fingers pouted and crossed his arms, but not before signing griping-ly, 'What am I, _invisible?_' He continued to sulk, until Frost unexpectedly started to tickle him, causing him to burst into a fit of silent laughter while Aeon giggled with her hand over her mouth. She liked her new friends, already!

**Heh, yeah, I was originally NOT going to have Black and Snake get all emotional and huggy and stuff, but then when I was wrapping up that scene, I was like 'oh, what the heck!' and I threw it in there. I'm sure it's nice to release your emotions every once in a while, when you hide behind your mask all of the time! Plus, I had to get Frost to feel a bit better, too, as consolation for the rest of her troubles in the past and the ones to come. **

**So, how will the two brothers deal with the troubles yet to come? How can Cosmos get over the fact that his crush has abandoned them and he might have to confront her later on? What is in Fingers past, and future? What does the future hold for **_**all **_**of them?**

**Well, when it's not eleven at night and I'm not tired, I'll write the next chapter and TELL you all the answers to those questions! Or, at least, most of them! Hope you enjoyed this; it only took me a couple of hours to cook up, so it may not be my best, but hey, at least I got it out, right? So, I'll guess I'll see ya next time on Drag – **

**Ermm…**

'**The Chao Chronicles: the Supernovas'!**

**Ja ne!**


	31. Sweet as a Lemon

Chapter 31

Sweet as a Lemon

"Well," Pyro smirked as she sat on the floating chair in the 'doctor's laboratory, "I think I might get used to this, if I can get a heater in here."

"Good, good," Eggman nodded, although he could really care less about what she wanted. He was really after those Supernovas, and she seemed to have the uncanny ability of worming her way into getting things she wanted. He had watched her closely while she grew up, and it seemed she manipulated anyone that she could to get what she wanted. _That's _my _kind of employee._

"So, doctor," she glanced over to him clacking away at the computer as she gave the miniature robotic snake a small pat on the head, "where do I go to first? I would like to get started on nabbing those Supernovas sometimes soon."

"Well, first, I would like to show you my newest creations that will help you on your quest," he declared while clicking a few more buttons expertly, and then he turned while humming an uplifting tune and walked down the walkway after beckoning her to follow him. She frowned and picked up the snake, wrapping it around her neck like a boa with a smirk before floating on after him, raising an eyebrow at his humming. _Old man, that better not be 'It's a Small World'…_ Deciding not to say anything about it, though, she instead wondered what he could possibly want to show her as they kept their journey over to a giant hangar. Once inside on a metal walkway high above the ground, however, her jaw dropped and the snake trilled in fright and ducked its head against her neck at what they saw.

Standing in all of its malevolent glory, a giant machine that nearly touched the ceiling of the hangar was as still as the walls around it; it was built after a lizard-frame while standing on its hind-legs much like Godzilla, covered in a thick sturdy-looking metal that seemed impenetrable and glowed faintly even though it wasn't polished – in fact, it was rather grungy-looking, making her face scrunch up in disgust at the things stuck on the metal as she stared right into its face. Its eyes didn't close but were instead dark, as if it was asleep and waiting for the right time to come alive and strike. It had claws that reminded her of a monster, ridiculously huge and probably sharp enough to split a piece of paper if it barely touched it. Pyro gulped, feeling the snake tightening and shivering as if it, too, felt scared being near the thing, and then saw that something else was close behind it, hanging from the ceiling with giant wings closed around itself in a protective metal cocoon. It mimicked a giant bat, although its face was twisted into something like a pterodactyl grinning evilly as its claws on it wings framed it like a demented portrait. It was tinged a nasty-looking yellow, nearly making her want to barf, and it too had dormant eyes that ultimately made them both look like the Reaper's messengers of death.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts as she saw Eggman was already far ahead of her on the walkway, she quickly floated after him and stopped after he entered another room on the other side of the hangar and stepped to the side to let her in. Inside were small devices that seemed to be Chao-sized, and she walked up to one in particular as he grinned proudly at his creations. It looked like a pair of bracers connected by metal structure in the form of a Chao's body that had rings inserted in them, and as her eyes glittered at the dark gray-and-purple scheme of it the human above her explained cheerfully, "This here will help increase your potential, using the power of rings and setting them into your fire abilities. You will be able to create streams of fire where before they were mere fireballs." Then, he pulled up a necklace that was in the shape of a purple heart, going on, "And _this_ will be how you communicate with me, because communicators are too bulky and take up too much room while being easy to lose. And, this is more fashionable." He knew that that would have her hooked, and he grinned triumphantly as she smirked and took the necklace to wrap it around her neck, moving the robot-snake so that it wrapped around her arm instead like a bracelet as she examined the jewelry with an approving nod.

"Does it come with a matching outfit?"

Eggman grinned widely. _This is too easy._

"Why, yes, in fact, it does. Let me show you how it works…"

_Later, outside of the laboratory…_

Pyro laughed happily as the robotic snake flicked its cool wiry tongue across her cheek, and then put it down beside her as she looked up at the (_real_) sky of the strange world. She was wearing an outfit inspired by Rouge, with a fresh lavender wrapping around her stomach while a very light creamy pink heart sat over her chest. The two bracers were kind of clunky in her opinion, but she could make do until he upgraded them. Right now, she was admiring the world outside of her own. "This place sure is beautiful," she mumbled to her mechanic companion, a longing look on her face as she examined the huge jungle around her. "I could get used to this, for sure."

Then, ruining her peaceful evening, she caught glance of something metallic flying wobbly, and she narrowed her eyes as an Omochao came clumsily over and smiled at her. "Hello!" He was extremely cheery. "Who are you? I normally don't meet Chao outside of the Chao world!"

"_I'm_ about to kick your butt," she said, drawing an arm back as her bracer burned fiercely with power. She was annoyed by him already, and he had only just come over there.

"Wait, wait," he waved his arms as she was about to smack him to the moon, "I'm Eggman's creation! D-don't destroy me, or he'll be very…mad!"

_Somehow, I doubt that,_ Pyro sighed but put her hands down, _because there's so many of you. _"I always knew that something as evil as you was created by Eggman."

"…Evil?" The mechanic Chao frowned at her, looking confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You," she poked his metal chest, "are technically an enemy of my…_old_ friends." She paused for a moment, not knowing what to call them at first, and then she realized that, since she wasn't really related to them, it didn't matter what she called them. She smiled at that thought, but then it turned back into a frown when the Omochao sat down beside her, humming some song that probably came from an old show tune. She looked at him, wondering why he had to bother her, and then asked, "So, what should I call you? Just 'Omochao'? Or how about 'Bothersome'?"

"You don't have to be so mean about it," he crossed his arms and pouted, but then added, "My name is Omo-384."

"…I'll just call you 'Omo', then. Or," she grinned, "I can call you 'Momo'."

"What? No!"

"So, Momo," she looked at him with a sly smirk, "normally where there's one, there's more of you. What happened to your little army?"

"Well, actually, I don't normally hang out with the other Omochao." His head hung a little. "I'm a defected model, as you've probably noticed."

"…What, your flying?" He nodded. "Oh…well, can't it be fixed?"

He shook his head. "Once built, Eggman refuses to fix you, unless he's _really_ stuck on the idea that he'll take over the world using you."

"For some reason that sounds like a warning" she mumbled to herself, but Omo just looked down at the ground and didn't say a word, to which she relaxed and lay back down with the robot snake that had become her pal. She admired the human/anthropomorph's world so much more than her own – the trees didn't have to be helped to live, and they didn't pop up in three seconds, and the sky wasn't virtually created and always sunny. In fact, in the distance, she could see some dark fluffy things slowly creeping towards her, and she felt a bit giddy and lightheaded at the thought of experiencing her first storm.

"Hey, can you get wet?"

Omo frowned, and then answered, "Well, I was built to be waterproof, fireproof, capable of going to space…the only thing I can't deal with is when people hit me." A pause. "…Why do you ask?"

"…No reason." She yawned and covered her mouth. "Just wondering if you'd stick around for my first ever storm."

"You mean…" He looked over at her, his eyes lighting up happily. "You won't hit me, will you?"

"…Maybe, if you ask nicely."

"Yay!" He jumped up to his feet and zoomed around haphazardly but ecstatically until she smacked him out of the air and back onto the ground, and she watched in fascination as his eyes suddenly went out with a _fizzle_ and he sat there, smoking like an overfilled sauna. It was quiet for a while, with the birds scared into silence by the sound of an Omochao crashing into the ground, and she was going to poke him and see if he was broken or something when Omo's eyes came on with a _ding!_ He then rubbed the dirt off of them with his hands and sulked as Pyro laughed at him, and he said, "What was that for?"

"I dunno – I just felt like hitting you."

He crossed his arms and pouted, his eyes sparking angrily as she continued to laugh at him.

**Yay, update! Haha, felt like going into Pyro's point-of-view for this chapter. After all, we all want to know what she's up to, right? And, personally, I thought Omo was hilarious. And that snake's become a pet now… It seems that Pyro has already gotten a new batch of friends, and she fits right in at the laboratory where she's treated like a princess.**

**Alright, so next chapter we're going back to Cosmos and them, and we're going to see how everyone's doing to prepare for the battles to come. But, will they be prepared for the 'new and improved' Pyro? And will Cosmos even be able to face her?**

**Well, I guess you'll have to wait!**

**MUAHAHA!**

**Ja ne! (Oh, and somebody asked what that means. It means essentially, "Good-bye!")**


End file.
